Mind Control
by iolah
Summary: The Hive was a school filled to the brim with motor-mouthed, snarky, rude, wallet snatching, disrespectful, thieves. But they were a family nonetheless. A series of oneshots.
1. Names

**This was the third chapter, I did some switching. **

**Disclaimer: I would like to say I owned all of the HIVE members; you have no idea how much I would like to say that. But it's not true so why bother?**

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Contrary to popular belief, all of the members of the Hive had names. They were people too after all. However everyone but they tended to forget that. But they were people. And at one point in their lives they had consciences and things of that nature. Some still had their own personal Jiminy Cricket. 

Kyd Wykkyd's name was Elliot. Suddenly he didn't seem so wicked anymore, more like a little boy. Elliot's a sweetie. And he was, he was the kindest person anyone had ever met at the Hive, but you wouldn't guess it from his alias. He got the name Kyd Wykkyd from one of his friends at the Hive, a speedster-teen named Jeremy, that had disappeared a couple of months after Brother Blood came into power. Jeremy had been surprised at an outbreak of Elliot's mischievous side and had called him 'wicked'. Thus, a name was born.

Gizmo was Mikron, and Mikron liked gizmos. One linked to the other and he was too busy creating something new to really bother to come up with a better one. Besides, this name suited him fine. Mikron sometimes smiled when no one else was looking, sometimes Mikron was happy.

Mammoth's name was Baron. It was large like him, but Baron sounded more powerful than Mammoth. It sounded like Mammoth wasn't the raging behemoth some assumed he was. Baron was strong, Baron was capable. Mammoth was too, but you wouldn't think so to hear his name. Baron loved his name because it reminded him of his sister, Selinda, who was out doing some governmental thing, possibly illegal, or another. Baron was the most worshiping little brother who had ever existed; it was Selinda who had given him the name Mammoth out of affection. Mammoth meant love to him as well, so it didn't matter whether he was called Baron or Mammoth. It all went back to Selinda.

X.L Terrestrial had a name. It was Hank. Hank didn't really like his villain's name; he had created it to hurt himself. As a child he was called an alien by other children, by the entire world. Coming to Earth from Termandia had turned out to be his exact version of a nightmare. And he couldn't go home, he had a mission to complete. They called him an alien all because he could make himself big and make himself small. All because he was completely in charge of his body. All because he was green and looked like an extra terrestrial. (He was one but they didn't need to know that.) People were picky like that. It had hurt him so badly that he took in the name out of spite and crushed the town. Extra-large Terrestrial it was, maybe they would be happy now.

Seemore was Seymour. Seymour liked corny jokes, puns, porn, his friends, and Jinx. He didn't have some dark past other than a drunken mother and a father who had left years ago. He was happy at the Hive and that was all that mattered to him.

There were more names, more identities, which circled around the school. It was no secret who anyone was. They were their names.

However a hero wouldn't see their names when they looked at them. A hero would see a jail cell that should belong to them.

If they went to jail their names became numbers.


	2. Cut

**These are a lot of fun to write so I am writing more. Makes sense right?  
Hank is X.L Terrestrial, Elliot is Kyd Wykkyd, Mammoth is Baron, Gizmo is Mikron, Seemore is Seymour, Private Hive is Bailey, Angel is Angel, Billy is Billy, Jinx is Jinx. **

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing except for Kyd Wykkyd. Because he's cute stuff that one is. **

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It was nearly impossible to make Elliot angry or annoyed, usually he would only became slightly peeved. He could definitely get his feelings hurt, but the person who caused the hurt would immediately scramble over themselves to make it better. A pouting Elliot was not someone to be denied. He could make any hardened criminal feel overwhelmingly guilty and/or think of flowers. And he used that power easily.

However since it was so hard to make him cross the Hive had devised a game around doing so. Certainly the shenanigans weren't constant, for if they were then Elliot would be completely miserable and tormented. And no one really did anything that would make him feel put upon or sad. But here and there someone would poke at him or pretend not to listen. He only sent a hurt look at them and they immediately changed their tactics.

But Hank was incredibly bored. Hell, it was math class; anyone in their right mind would want to carve their ears out with their number two pencil, with the exception perhaps of Mikron. Or maybe not Mikron because, although the kid was a genius, it wasn't like he enjoyed class. Even though math class was boring to everyone in the room Hank was certain that he was, without a doubt, the most bored and miserable person in the room, seriously. He didn't even see why the Hive needed math. Maybe some things would help with heists but turning equations into something else? Why would he need that?

He looked over at Elliot struggling to understand what the teacher was prattling on about. If any class could run your tempers dry it was math. Math's misery had mostly to do with the teacher, the fat transformer who attempted to teach a room of cynical Hive students. Ms. Kelly could turn into a duck, no wonder she had gotten a job teaching math. Beware the duck woman! He could practically see the papers. Hank looked over towards Elliot again.

Elliot was staring blankly at the board, an expression of pure misery etched across his face. He was trying to understand what she was going on about, really he was. It was just the concept was so confusing and her weird waddle was awfully distracting. Suddenly he felt a sharp jab to the back of his shoulder. He turned around slowly, confused at the sudden rough treatment.

Hank was sitting three seats behind him, a single finger extended across the three tables, much to Billy's chagrin, to reach Elliot's shoulder. He mouthed a 'what' at Hank who just shrugged, maddeningly. The teleporter turned around to concentrate on the teacher. He was jabbed again.

This time he didn't turn around because no doubt it was for the same reason as last time. Once again he was poked on the same shoulder in the same spot. Every two seconds he was prodded like clockwork. His patience began to grind down to the lowest he could remember it being.

One of his red eyes twitched and he shot a look at the clock. Only two more minutes left of this irritation and he was done with class.

The nudging only came more quickly.

_Poke_

_Poke_

_Poke_

_Pokepokepokepokepokepokepokepoke-_

That was it! Wheeling around Elliot grabbed the edge of his cape and sliced the protruding index finger right off. Hank gaped at him in astonishment as well as pride. Billy looked flabbergasted. Elliot beamed with pride.

The bastard could regenerate anyway.


	3. Tomato Paste

**Was the First chapter, isn't anymore. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, but I would like to own Kyd Wykkyd. Mmmm. **

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It wasn't really Mikron's fault that he became the Hive's temporary laughing stock (they went through them very quickly). He had been searching through the woods for some rare artifact or another that Seymour had hidden there a while ago. The Cyclops in question had conveniently "forgotten" where he had hidden it because Mikron nuked his sunglasses. So, cursing heavily under his breath, the tiny genius had navigated his way through the woods, occasionally brandishing some electric tracking device.

The artifact that Mikron needed was black and white, it also happened to be shaped slightly like a saxophone. No one, except perhaps Seymour and Mikron, remembered what the device was called only that it served some purpose in fueling whatever gadget Mikron would dish out next. That day no one was in a helping mood so he had to look for the Atomic Combustion Device all on his own.

It had been almost an hour and a half that he had been searching. Despite his cursing Mikron could almost be considered patient. At the very least, he was dedicated to finishing his work, although he wouldn't do it without complaining but hey, nobody was perfect. However an hour and a half is a long time to search so when he saw the black and white saxophone shaped thing sticking out from under a bush he didn't bother to notice that it happened to be covered in hair.

On the end of the so called device was a skunk shaped body with beady black eyes. They glittered so nefariously that one could almost believe that it was an actual skunk. Mikron, with a slightly more brilliant I.Q than that someone just mentioned, quickly surmised in fact it was a skunk and attempted to drop it and flee at the same time.

Short little geniuses don't run as quickly as they would like to and even before he could activate his hover pack it was far too late. Not the best of Mikron's moments.

Miserable and awfully smelly he made his way back to the school, gadget-less and mortified. He snuck in through Jinx's window where she was reading some magazine on her bed. Jinx's room was very pink, very black, and very horror film-like. He generally didn't go in there much but this was a special case. Mikron's intent was to blackmail the pink-haired hex queen into helping him and not let anyone he knew of besides her hear of this.

Unluckily for him Angel was in the room.

Angel was, by all means, a very nice girl. However she possessed the tongue of a parakeet on crack and in a few short minutes of hearing something would often manage to get it spread around the school. This wasn't done out of evil intent, she simply did not realize she was doing it and by the time it was pointed out to her it was too late. Usually her incessant talking was because of the huge amounts of sympathy she felt for the other party. Sympathy that she felt compelled to share.

But even with Angel in the room gaping at the repugnant odor coming off of him like a carp he might have yet been saved if Jinx hadn't been in a particularly mischievous mood. Letting out a wide Cheshire grin she began to laugh, slamming her fists onto her bed and alerting the general public who stormed into the room. If Jinx thought it was funny it generally would be miserable for the other party she was laughing at, more fun for them.

They were not let down.

In a few short minutes 'Gizzy's skunk incident' had spread like wildfire about the school. Everyone was enjoying the fact that the small boy had gotten beaten by a skunk, especially Seymour. Mikron vowed to blow up the one-eye's room once the stench had dissipated. It was his entire fault after all.

Jinx had been the opposite of sympathetic, but really Mikron hadn't expected anything else out of the girl. Still she was as helpful as ever and in a few short minutes she had conglomerated an army's load of tomato paste and dunked him in it.

He spluttered through the sauce, demanded hotly why she had just sent him in a batch with his clothes on in tomato for Christ's sake.

She calmly replied, "Tomato paste is the cure for a skunk," here she laughed for a good fifty seconds," spraying you. It hasn't actually been proven to work though. You aren't taking the bath by yourself naked because I want pictures."

Pulling out a camera she began to take photo after photo of Mikron's unfortunate predicament, leaving the genius with his face as red as tomato paste.


	4. Family

**Whoa, I had a completely different idea for this one involving schizophrenia but this kind of took off. No offence the church or Christians or anyone of that nature I assure you. This was not meant as a satire in any way. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone. However I claim the ideas I get for the chapters as they are my own personal plot bunnies. **

To Angel family was always an otherworldly concept; she never really had any that she can remember. Maybe a soft smile here and there but those had probably come from the nuns who lived at the church that imprisoned her. Her wings were small back then, just little buds from out of her back. The church had been unsure whether she was a missionary of Satan or an angel. They decided that if she was of Satan the wings growing off her back were that of a chicken.

To think of it, she wasn't really imprisoned in the church, just not allowed to leave. Her family, whoever they were, gave her to the church begging them to save her soul and they reacted zealously.

_Why had they given her up? Why didn't they want her? _

Over the years the church had grown colder to her and the small smiles vanished along with the kindness. It seemed as if her purity had been decided. The preaching to her became more vigorous, and almost frightening. Everyone had been repelled by her very existence. She was only about nine then, and wanted with all of her being to be an angel like they wanted.

_I hope you are an angel, for your sake. The devil is not welcome in the eyes of God. _

_Yes Sister Margaret. _

She had left the church, wings now big enough to sustain her in flight and knock down walls if need be. It was scary out in the 'real world'. She had never seen cars or things of that nature, only knew that they housed people from what she heard roaring in every Sunday Mass.

_People who came to church were asked to pray for her, did they? _

She needed a name now that she was out. This world frightened her terribly, but she knew she needed a name. She wanted to be Angel because maybe then she could start to believe it.

If it hadn't been for Jinx, Angel didn't think she would have ever become who she was. It was bigger outside of the church and in the large city she had traveled to and the wings on her back felt heavy with shame, even though they were shrunken down to almost nothing. She had been certain that she was the strangest person on this Earth, convinced by the lack of strangeness the other people had, and figured she might as well go back to the church and be cleansed because she wasn't _normal. _

_If I was like everyone else would my family have left me at the church? _

Then she saw a pink-haired girl wielding hexes. If she was a devil, then Jinx was too. Jinx became her friend out of a desire to feel better about her self. Angel didn't like thinking of why she had first stopped Jinx on the street and asked her for help, but she knew it was true. To Angel Jinx was more of a devil than she was. Jinx was a tough person, but she accepted Angel quite sincerely. Jinx became a sister, but not a sister as was in the church. Not a nun, Jinx was anything but. It was then Angel understood her first concept of family, they will love you no matter what.

She would love Jinx even if the girl became a hero.

_Angel understood the concepts of good and bad, but they were all erased when she met her first slice of family. _

And then everyone else had come when she went to the school. She looked at the people, all of them stranger than her, crowding around to be the first to see and or torment the newbie and felt something she had never really experienced before.

She felt at home.

Maybe they weren't all stranger than her; maybe she was just as strange as them. She couldn't imagine anything more amazing to be.

At the Hive, she decided, she would create her own family.


	5. Initiation

**Disclaimer: I am currently wishing that Elliot was absolutely and completely mine…but he isn't. Neither are the rest of them for that matter. **

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They hadn't liked Stone at all when they had first met him, although it had been Jinx who had hated him the most. Mikron and Baron had just gone along with it. Stone had been unfortunate to run into them, but he had assumed they were the ringleaders of the academy. There were no popular kids at the Hive, they were all the same, although some had more authority than others. Sometimes they thought that their school was as close to total equality as it got if one took the teachers out of the equation.

They could have destroyed Stone within a second of meeting him to be honest. Seymour, for example, had just about leapt out of his seat to defend Jinx, even though she didn't need it. Stone thought he had only angered her team but he was wrong. The entire school was on Mikron, Baron, and Jinx's side. The Hive stuck up for their own (most of the time). But they held too much respect for Jinx to destroy him right off the bat, she thought up things much more devious than a simple pounding.

It was her idea to make him do the easiest initiation in the Hive history. Carry her books around in a tutu? Please, Mikron had to do that on regular occasions whenever she was particularly pissed at him. The academy was used to it, just another tidbit of old news. Making Stone do it was cruel almost to a fault. It was Jinx's way of showing what the school thought of him. He was weak. This was the only initiation he could pass. The Hive was figuratively spitting in Rocky's face and the best part was he had no idea it was happening.

That could have been that but he carried out the action gracefully. That was a major plus because the Hive was all about taking the punishment dished out to you. Even as they were laughing at his weakness they gave a slight nod to him as he passed down in the tutu. He took it like a true villain and how could they complain about that?

Life went on.

"So tell me about the other initiations." Stone said cheerfully, sprawled out on the common room couch. He had since been integrated into their group and was perfectly at ease with them, as they were with him. Jinx, Elliot, and Seymour sat with him.

Jinx gave a cackle of appreciation and shot a look towards Seymour who flushed in mortification. "His was pretty bad," she supplied while Elliot snickered silently, "Seymour had to sneak into the Headmistress's room, this was when she was still here, and steal a pair of her underwear. Oh god Stone you should have seen them, they were awful, spandex with polka dots." She laughed. "And then he had to hang them up in the lunchroom."

Seymour groaned and put his head in his hands as Stone chuckled madly. Elliot pat him on the back sympathetically while snickering in remembrance.

"What did Kyd Wykkyd have to do?" Stone asked, smiling at her (a little too brightly Seymour noticed.)

Elliot immediately turned bright red and waved his arms around wildly. Stone wasn't great at Wykkydisms yet but he assumed the boy was either trying to wave the topic away or get Jinx not to tell it. Either way it ought to be entertaining.

She smiled. "This one was Billy's idea so I can't take credit; you have no idea how much I would like to though. Kyd Wykkyd had to write a love letter to Ms. Kelly."

Stone burst into guffaws.

"The love letter," Jinx continued sagely, "Stone, don't mock who Ell-Kyd Wykkyd loves. The love letter was bright pink with sparkles and was inscribed with a beautiful poem. What was it again?" She asked Seemore casually.

"I believe it was," Seymour answered, eager to get the embarrassment off of himself, _Although math fills me with woe, it is you my little doe, who makes me feel like I can add_, _my love for you just drives me mad. Oh can you love me pretty thing, or is this only a short fling?" _

Stone was having trouble breathing and Elliot's face threatened to out-red a cherry. He pointed wildly to Seymour who bowed proudly at Stone.

"I wrote it." He proclaimed happily.

Once the laughter, at Elliot's expense, had died down Stone looked up suddenly. "Hey, these initiations are pretty gruesome. How come you went easy on me?"

"It was out way of saying you couldn't take the heat," she flapped a hand at his peeved look, "Hey don't worry, we've been wrong before. You're a friend now."

They'd be wrong again too.


	6. Don't Look

**Disclaimer: None of it is mine**

**Warning: There are swears and dead children. It's pretty gruesome. **

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Mikron had never been one to easily forgive; that just wasn't who he was. He also had never really respected heroes. To him, people like the Titans were pompous windbags convinced that they were working for the greater good. Still, until he had lost it, he hadn't realized he retained some vestige of belief that heroes had a smidgeon of compassion. 

So Stone turned out to be Cyborg, that only confirmed his belief that the city's self appointed saviors were the scum of the earth. He hadn't been that affected by Stone's leaving. He was hurt a bit, yes, but he would be much more so if one of his closer friends decided to bail to the side of the light.

So they blew up the school. That meant that about four hundred people (okay, criminals) went homeless without a way of getting food. Honestly, Mikron could have dealt with the fact that the first place he felt at home with in his life was blown to bits. But they destroyed the fucking nursery.

Most of the Hive members that weren't being questioned by Brother Blood rushed there immediately to save the children whose powers hadn't developed enough to save themselves. Mikron himself, along with the rest of Stone's former team, was being detained so Brother Bastard could find out all he needed to know on Cyborg.

By the time the mini genius had gotten to the nursery to check it out all the chaos had ended. There was a hole blown straight through it, annihilating about five cribs right off the bat. Angel was sobbing on the floor clutching a small dead girl to her chest while Seymour hovered over her. His one eye was red with unshed tears. Elliot had slumped to the floor, his head in his hands.

The wreckage was incomparable, only a few shaken wailing children remained unharmed. The rest were injured or dead. Mikron closed his eyes; he didn't want to see this. He didn't want to see the crushed little hands or his sobbing classmates. It wasn't as if he was fond of children but he didn't want to see this. His hands shook as his thoughts ran around in circles.

_I shouldn't be seeing this. Nononono—_

Mikron didn't care that they destroyed his home that they infiltrated, that they ruined Brother Bloods plan. He didn't care about any of that. Couldn't they have just left the kids alone? Would that have been so damn difficult?

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**For the record, the Titan's didn't realize that there were young kids at the school which is why they were so gung ho about blowing it up. Just thought I would get that out there. **


	7. Absurd Innuendo

**I have no excuse.  
****Set before Jinx left but after the school blew up.  
****Warnings: Nothing too terrible depending on how good your imagination is. Also some language. **

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It really wasn't Seymour's fault, all things considered. _Anyone_ could have suggested they go watch a movie and conveniently forget to pay. It wasn't as if that was a novel concept to kids at the Hive. 

At the time it had been a brilliant suggestion. Jinx was PMSing, therefore raising hell for all of them since they were not being supportive enough. Elliot was off smoking pot somewhere and Baron was pissed about it. The HQ (Hive Quarters, they had a gift) was not a very safe place to be when he had gotten the seemingly wonderful idea to sneak into a movie. He couldn't be blamed for wanting out of there as fast as possible. And he was even nice enough to let some of his other friends in on the deal.

"Seymour, you gunk-munching toe-rag." Mikron seethed. "I thought you were supposed to be all seeing! I can't believe that I have to sit through this---" He continued to hiss curses and threats.

"Hey man, don't make fun of my sight." Seymour lazily replied before tuning him out, sighing in exasperation.

It couldn't honestly be considered Seymour's fault. Billy had been all for the idea, claiming the idea to get out of there was the best idea the one-eyed boy had ever had. So maybe if Billy hadn't encouraged Seymour he wouldn't be stuck in the predicament he was.

Watching Tellytubbies, big screen style. 3-D glasses and all.

So it was he, a murderous Mikron, and an amused Billy, holed up in the theater until the goddamn movie was finished.

It didn't help that Billy kept pointing out innocent childlike phrases that could be stretched into sexual innuendo. He did not wasn't to think about Tinkywinky that way, or the vacuum for that matter. Plus, every time Billy made an offhand comment Mikron sent Seymour a glare as though the freaky workings of Billy's mind were _his _fault. Mega unfair.

Granted, Mikron could probably blast the wall down and Seymour could blow up the screen and they would be out of there. Unfortunately, all of those increasingly tempting options would draw the Titans to the theater like Hank to gummy-bears. Hella fast. And Seymour was _so _not in the mood to deal with them.

The toddlers giggled, flashing cherubic grins at the screen, for the most part unaware of Mikron's death glares, cursing, and Billy's perverted comments. Although Seymour overheard one little girl as her mama what "motherfuckin'" meant, most of the other children's minds remained innocent.

Dipsy and Po went off into their house together for a moment, causing Billy to start emitting cat calls. Parents glared at the group and snaked possessive arms around their children, trying to shield them from the group of criminal's evilness. Seymour could only look and the ceiling in shame and hope they got thrown out soon.

It wasn't his fault that they had 'accidentally' locked themselves into Tellytubbies. Anyone could have mistaken the Tellytubbies sign for a sign that read 'Wedding crashers.'

Anybody.


	8. Fashion Sense

**For the record this is how Angel would think. Therefore not all of her opinions of other characters are my own. Just clearing that up. She also monologues a bit but I figured the Titans had to hear it sooner or later.**

**Disclaimer: I am honored that you think I own something that would get me rich. **

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She sifted through the many jewels, not bothering to stop the alarm that was blaring loudly. It might as well be saying 'Titans come!' for all the work the police did in the city. Angel sighed and ignored the fact that the very people she hated in every sense of the word were coming. 

Sure enough, they burst through the door with a familiar yet cliché Titans Go! She turned at laid an eye on them before dismissing them and turning back to the jewels. She set to work on picking out a nice one for Jinx's birthday.

She vaguely heard Cyborg; he wasn't Stone anymore, telling Robin about her. Probably so they could better fight a villain who wasn't responding.

"She has wings on her back that she can grow. They can make air and she can fly using them."

"Any malicious intent?" Robin hissed back, completely unaware that she could hear ever word that was being said.

"We did destroy her school." Raven drawled out. Angel felt a rush of what could be considered affection towards the normally frigid ice-bitch. At least she got it.

Finding a nice necklace she easily placed it into her bra and started to walk towards the door.

"Stop!" Robin cried, leaping in front of her, bow staff brandished. Angel twitched slightly, how much longer could she hold the words in?

"Please be peaceful, the wrongdoing does not have to continue." Starfire appeased from her lofty spot in the air. Angel twitched.

"Okay!" She gave up, "First of all, I am not taking any orders from someone who looks like a freaking traffic light. I mean, whose idea was the tights? They are so ugly that I can barely look at you. I mean, Jeez, can't you pick your own clothes out?" She gasped, "Oh no, did you pick these out yourself? That is a serious mistake. You definitely need to call 'How do I look?' or something of the nature because this is just awful. Second of all, how can you even think I hold the slightest bit of respect for you?" She indicated towards Starfire. "Or a girl that would like you, for that matter."

Robin was turning red.

"And Beastboy. I get that you're green and all. Whatever! But purple spandex?! That is the tackiest thing I have ever seen. And I am a freaking metahuman; I have seen some pretty bad costumes. Purple and green looks like Barney. Do you _want_ to look like Barney? And another thing-!"

"Angel," Cyborg interrupted, stepping towards her.

"Oh, don't Angel me. You lot murdered a bunch of innocent children, some were babies! Do you think I care the slightest of what someone who wouldn't hesitate to kill a child could do to me? Go to-" she hesitated; growing up in a church could do that. "Go to hell."

With a sudden flap of her wings she sent the astonished team flying through the wall. Then she was gone.

"Dude," Beastboy squeaked, morphing back from a bird, "What just happened?"

"I dunno," Robin said, slight disbelief colored his voice as he pulled himself out of the rubble, "but we're not going to let her escape! Titans go!"

Go to hell indeed.

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**Not my best but it definitly isn't the worst thing I've written. **


	9. Cigarettes

**Okay, I admit it; I fell in love with Mistressmarrionette's version of Hank (or Xilo, whatever). I tweaked it a bit but the whole militaristic planet thing is all hers. So give her credit and go read her fics because they kick ass. **

**Warnings: Get used the cursing; I am not even going to warn anymore. It is rated T and none of the Hive members are what you could call innocent. This is the official 'language' warning for the rest of the fic. **

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It was time to send the monthly report in, and Hank was seriously not looking forward to writing it. At first, coming to Earth for his planet was kind of cool. He had the whole 'I am an alien fear me' thing down to an art. Of course, he had gotten off to a rough start with some of the members of his first earth community. The whole town destroying thing was totally not his fault, they had provoked him! Seriously! 

If he was fair about it though, they were probably just pissed because he crash landed and blew up some religious facility. Whatever, it could've been rebuilt. They didn't have to get so miffed about it. Hank never really understood religion, it was such a wierd concept. The townspeople had overacted so badly he couldn't help but taking the rest of the town in with the church. It tied everything together nicely.

Hank liked closure, a lot. It really ticked him off when things were left unresolved. His arguments never ended with both parties not knowing where they stood. The fight was either resolved or he and the other were not talking ever again.

Ever again.

Which was why he was still mad at that asshole Johnny Rancid. Hank made a mental note to pay Elliot to tag the bike-freak's apartment. Payback. Then they would be even. To Hank, that was proper closure.

To be perfectly frank, Earth was a shit hole. It was polluted, the political systems were inefficient, there was war between the inhabitants, people fought for peace, and people killed people to say don't kill people. It was one big contradiction! Plus, if his planet even thought of taking them over the paperwork involved would be reason enough to just blow the damn thing up. Seriously.

Hank didn't really get why he was dreading writing in his monthly report so much. It wasn't a hard task; write some bull about the inefficient social system, maybe even add in a few details about the pollution problems and he was set. It was just, for some crazy reason, he was starting to really like Earth, and he didn't want anyone else from his planet to come too.

It had to be the cigarettes. That was the only possible explanation for he liking this crappy planet that was being destroyed by its own residents. They made damn good, and addictive, social equalizers. Drugs, booze, and cigarettes. It was all here on this world, waiting to be exploited by him.

He bit his lip in thought and looked at the half finished report. His eyes glanced up sharply as Billy came to the door, wearing his personalized half smirk half smile.

"Heard you were lookin' fer a way to get back at Rancid. I cn' help, that asshole still owes me fifty bucks an' hasn't paid up yet."

Hank smirked back, reveling in the chance not to ask Elliot for a favor. Elliot's help always managed to come swinging back at you and next thing you know you would be covering him, to Baron of all the people, as the teleporter pulled off some new misdemeanor.

He got up and followed Billy out the door as he thought of all the fun ways he could get back at that asshole Johnny Rancid, paper left unfinished.

Hank didn't understand why he enjoyed this planet so much; it must have been the cigarettes, seriously.


	10. Selfish

**A bit of a different look at Elliot, but still with the same principals. I am just going to say this for the rest of the chapters: Mistressmarrionette probably gave me ideas for the versions I have of pretty much everything for this chapter and the rest of my fic, so go read her fics. Good. **

**Warnings: He smokes pot, get used to it. I am getting sick of warnings, I might not do them anymore starting pretty soon. **

* * *

Elliot liked being the 'sweetie' of the group. He liked being able to smile and get away with things. He liked being babied and adored. He would keep an even temper and then get even. He would teleport to and fro and surprise people constantly and he was loved. He liked being loved, it suited him. 

Elliot liked pot. He liked the sleepy dazed feeling it left him with. He liked the ability to forget things that were sad. He liked drifting off into his own portable universe accessible by a couple of drags. He liked that, a lot. That was the only aspect that some of his friends didn't love so much about him. But that didn't bother Elliot because it was what he liked that mattered.

Elliot liked to destroy things. He would paint on walls, break valuable artifacts, break non-valuable artifacts, destroy furniture, bury things, crack windows, overturn papers, and scratch lines and shapes over everything. His friends would roll their eyes at the havoc he created and let it slide because that was just part of who he was.

In some ways Elliot didn't mind getting hurt either. He would get hurt often. He would do something reckless and get hurt. He would break something and get hurt. Physical pain would hurt for an instant, but it would go away. Physical pain was easy to fix. His friends would fix him, they always did.

Elliot was selfish. He knew that about himself and accepted it. It suited him, most things that he liked did. Being selfish helped him get what he liked, so it worked out. He liked everyone and everything to revolve around him and he liked being loved.

Elliot loved his friends, more than pot, being the sweetie, and destruction. He cared for them so much that his love of them overrode his selfishness. He worried about them constantly and would help them out (for a price). Elliot felt guilty easily when he hurt them and he loved them and loved them and loved them.

That worried him most of all.


	11. Girl Talks

**Insert usual warnings.  
****Insert disclaimer.  
****Bailey is Private Hive, Karen is Bumble Bee. **

* * *

"Hey, hey, do you ever talk?" Jinx asked the girl who had followed her to the school. The winged girl had spent almost a week of classes without speaking and Jinx was getting sick of it. 

Angel bowed her head respectfully and nodded, once. Angel was courteous and that was all she knew how to be.

"Well, let's hear it then. Let me see how good your voice is." Jinx waited expectantly.

She couldn't speak, she would be sure to say something wrong. She always said something wrong.

"Hey. Hey look at me." Jinx took Angel's chin and moved her head so the girl was looking her directly in her pink eyes. "People would rather hear what you were thinking and be insulted then not know what you are thinking at all."

Angel thought, opened her mouth, and the words came pouring out. It was really Jinx's fault that she never stopped speaking again.

* * *

At the Hive, people went out of their way to talk to Angel. She knew fashion like the back of her hand, she knew obscure bands and popular bands as well, and she was happy. For the first time, she was happy. 

Angel loved Jinx with all of her heart; she was everything Angel thought a girl should be. She was tough and bold and strong. Jinx made Angel feel safe.

Angel had never had someone in her life that made her feel like that. She grew up in a church that had separated her from everything and people were careful not to get to close to her. At the Hive it was different. She went out of her way to culture herself and learn about what was out there. She went out of her way to be experianced.

She became everyone's mother at school, despite the fact that she came from such a sheltered background. It made her feel safer still, she was necessary, she was loved, and she was needed.

She always thought of Jinx as the most strong though, a mother above the mother. But soon, even Jinx started to come to her more frequently, to ask for advice and help. Angel wondered when in _their_ friendship she had become the mother figure. It didn't really matter though, because she would protect Jinx with all of her heart.

* * *

"That girl is a raging bitch!" Eleven year old Jinx whined, gnashing her teeth and stamping her too tall boots around the room. 

"Who, Karen?" Angel asked.

"Yes! Freaking teacher's pet. No no, no, a teachers _insect_!" Jinx growled and then spoke with a sugary sweet voice dripping with sarcasm. "Can I copy these papers for you headmistress? Are you sure you don't need help sir? Maybe I can get you something to drink Mr. Arther? Can I kiss your ass Brother Blood? There is a way more subtle method to kissing up!"

Angel wrinkled her nose, keeping the knowlege that Jinx was a bit of a suck-up to herself. She didn't like the Karen any more than Jinx did, but still…

"Hive girls have to stick together." And that was the end of that.

* * *

"And then Bailey gets this really puzzled look. Like he's trying to figure out what's going on right? And he asks us what we're doing! So Steve goes 'Oh, I am helping Angel rehearse for a play.' What a joke! But Bailey believes it because he's sweet like that, takes a drag, and walks off!" Angel cackled with glee. 

Jinx snorted into her soda. She had heard the story of Angel and Steve getting caught before, hell there were more than enough of those sorts of stories going around, but picturing Bailey's confused expression was always funny.

Karen frowned. "Wait, when did you and our Science teacher hook up?"

* * *

"Kitten and Fang broke up again?" 

"You're surprised?"

* * *

"You know who annoys me?" Jinx didn't wait for a response, she never did. "Brother Blood. I mean he's not even the headmaster yet and he's all appraising us to see our "potential". What bull!" 

Angel nodded. "And calling himself _Brother _Blood? What a laugh! He's certainly not _my _brother!" She paused a moment, then snickered. "Imagine having that as a relative."

"You guys should be nicer to him though." Bee grimaced, "He is going to be headmaster some day, should anything happen to the headmistress."

Angel and Jinx looked at each other. "As if, the woman's a dinosaur, she's _never_ going to die."

Karen's eyes clouded. "You'd be surprised. Things tend to go Brother B's way."

* * *

"Alright, I like him." Jinx's face flushed. When Jinx blushed it was painfully obvious. 

"We knew it."

* * *

"I can't fucking concentrate anymore." Karen slumped over the couch, a bottle of beer dangling from two of her fingers. "All this school shit, all this drama, Brother B, it's all a load of crap. I can't work with it anymore." 

She glared at the bottle in her hand accusingly, willing it to respond.

"Then leave." Jinx didn't mince words. She never had even as a child. If Billy made her mad, which he did frequently, she called him a jerk right away. Jinx was straight and to the point and Karen needed that after all the tip-toeing around secret operations the Hive was getting into.

"I don't want to." Karen pouted hazily.

"Then what?" Angel asked, taking a sip of her own beer. "Shit Bee, there aren't many other options. Just scat, y'know? Fly away. You could be a civilian or something, heck I dunno' just do something!"

"Would you all miss me?"

"Yes." The answer was swift and the same from both of them. Of course they would miss her, how could they not?


	12. Back to Normal

**Okay, I don't like to have chapters about the same characters so close together but I had a plot bunny and I couldn't help it. I already have another, more serious, chapter written but it needs some revision so I am going to post this instead. ****  
Warnings: Some Language.  
****Disclaimer: I wish…  
****An is Chesire. **

* * *

The Brotherhood and Hank had never seen eye to eye, not that he ever talked with the ringleaders aside from the time they recruited him. It didn't bother him that he didn't know the command well; he had grown up with that. His planet was one big military and the Brotherhood reminded him a little bit of it, it was nostalgic or something like that. But their way of getting their goals was whacked, seriously. 

Sometimes, outrageous plans that would never ever work worked surprisingly well. Implausible things did happen after all, they happened everyday. Especially on Earth. But he didn't see how, even on the planet of absolute dumb luck, the Brotherhood's whole 'gather all the villains together to freeze the Titans' plan would have ever gone according to the Brain's plot. It was hella dumb.

And they did it in Paris too, so the Hive kids had spent the two weeks more or less drunk the entire time before the final battle. It was pretty much one big party.

But whatever, shit happens, and predictably they were defeated. But with a crappy strategic plan like that it couldn't have gone differently, seriously. So he wasn't too bummed out about the losing thing and he wasn't that peeved about how he had gotten the crap beaten out of him. Hank always did have a problem with authority, which was odd given his dictatorial planet, and he hadn't tried to hard fighting. He liked the battle part, fighting was fun, but he didn't really fight for the sake of the Brotherhood and all things villainous. And it wasn't like the outcome was too terrible.

Because he hadn't been caught.

Seriously, how dumb could the Titans be?! Granted, he wasn't a big time villain. He didn't use his powers to steal much. Instead, he participated in good old shoplifting. There wasn't a concept like shoplifting on his planet so he had fun experimenting with it. (For the sake of research, of course) It was kind of annoying though, that he hadn't been recognized even though he was standing right in the ranks of Titans, groaning at Beast Boy's bad joke. He had been testing them a little to see if they would notice.

They hadn't.

So he waited at the base afterwards and unfroze the people he liked.

Angel had come out first, her eyes cloudy with an emotion he couldn't name, or didn't want to name, and asked him if he was all right. Hank was better than all right, the battle had him hyper and pumped for more fun. She looked like she wanted to ask something else, but Hank hadn't wanted to get into it so he quickly went over to the machine. They unfroze the pile of Hive members.

Baron looked confused, but no worse for wear. He was in a bit of a bad mood though so Angel had to stop him from smashing the first thing he saw, which would have been the freezing machine. They needed that. He sat on the ground breathing heavily, glaring at the ground as if it was the floor's fault that… Hank didn't want to think about it.

He tried to get Angel to refreeze Billy because Hank and he were in another fight. Hank wasn't sure exactly what the fight was about, something about a hooker, fifty bucks, and a pack of beer. Whatever it was, Hank was sure Billy was wrong and deserved to be frozen. Angel immediately began to scold Hank which came as a bit of a relief. Things were going back to normal.

Billy just smirked and said he already had a clone out and didn't need any help. The asshole.

Mikron promptly began to mutter unsavory words under his breath. And then separated himself from the group with the excuse of "fixing the gear those gunk-munchers broke". Angel looked worried about him but was distracted by Elliot. Whatever. Mikron could do his own thing.

Elliot looked about in confusion and sent a doleful expression Angel's way which had her gathering him up in her arms speaking as many condolences as she could get out before breathing. She dragged Seymour, who looked just as downtrodden as Elliot, over as well and they huddled there, leaving Hank to decide to who release.

And Billy, but Billy didn't count anymore, seriously.

"So do we release the princess?" Hank sent over to him warily, fingers moving towards the button that would free Kitten. He wasn't sure if the fight involved he and Billy not talking. Some of their fights did, others didn't, and it was hard to distinguish between them.

"Course, just ditch the giant moth would'ja? And Fang too." He added looked perturbed at the thought of Kitten's boyfriend being out and about.

"What, scared that he'll find out what happened when you two were drunk?" Hank smirked slightly.

"Nah, not scared. Just don' want it to happen that's all."

Hank shook his head in amazement. Billy must have forgotten about their argument already. The guy's memory seriously sucked. Oh well, he would take the ceasefire. As Kitten was gathering herself together Hank sent a look of annoyance towards Angel, Elliot, and Seymour. He didn't want to think about what they were so sad about so they should stop thinking about it too, seriously.

Unfreezing the others went semi-quickly after that. An was annoyed at how easily they had been taken out. That kind of surprised Hank, he wasn't aware she was so into the Brotherhood ideal. He said as much and she looked at him oddly; mask crooked and half off of her face.

Johnny Rancid was annoyed too, but for different reasons. Apparently someone had tampered with his precious bike.

"-take me so long to get it fixed. It's quality workmanship too! You can't steal awesome shit like that." He griped as soon as he got his bearings.

"Shut up, no one cares about yer bike." Billy sent him a peeved look.

Rancid scowled. "You're just pissed because you wanted to inherit it or some weird thing like that. I know you're upset about losing a potential fine set of wheels."

"You'd never let me have it." Billy snorted.

"Too true."

They conveniently 'forgot' to release Adonis because he was obnoxious.

The Hive kids debated a while on unfreezing their headmistress but eventually decided against it. They had thought, once the mind control wore off, that she had left them because Brother Blood hypnotized and/or eliminated her. Clearly she was fine and dandy the entire time they were being controlled. Plus, Hank hadn't like her in the first place.

Kitten looked over at her boyfriend thoughtfully before telling them not to unfreeze him because they were officially broken up (again).

Finally they unfroze Bailey who looked around him once in bewilderment before sending a pointed look towards Elliot. The teleporter tossed him a joint.

Angel sent him a glare. "What kind of example is that to set? Smoking marijuana yourself, it's no wonder that Elliot does!"

Bailey sent her a lazy smirk; he was much more relaxed when they weren't in a battle situation. If he was fighting, however, he became a soldier right down to the definition. He was seriously annoying in soldier mode which was why Hank never went on heists with him if the alien could help it.

"He would do it anyway; I'm just showing him the ropes. Wouldn't you rather he is experienced if he was going to do it?" He responded placidly.

She fired back another round of accusations which he returned just as mildly. They had very different points of view of how to 'raise' the kids of the Hive and as a result clashed often. Baron came over, having gotten rid of all of his anger, and broke up the fight. They were the three adults of the Hive…sort of.

Hank felt a rush of relief; at least something hadn't changed even though _she _had left. Maybe it would all be okay.


	13. Soldier

**Last chapter was based on a glitch in Titans Together where X.L was in the midst of the Titans. I thought it was hilarious and I wrote on it. **

**This chapter is a look in on Bailey on a heist.**

**Warnings: None. **

**Disclaimer: **

* * *

_Wait for an entrance, Break in, Sneak along, Get spotted, Knock out, Kill?, Keep going, Keep going, Keep going, Look, See, Take, Run, Knock out, Knock out, Knock out, Kill?, Fight, Win, Keep going, Break out, Run. _

* * *

Who: 

The who was easy, it was Bailey and only Bailey. When he was working it was only he that mattered. His teammates were only consequential in the thinnest sense of the word. If he could give help he would provide it. But if helping them got in the way of the ultimate objective he would leave them. Bailey wasn't really Bailey on a heist. Bailey was Private Hive. He was a calculating soldier and he would do as commanded. The only thing that mattered when he was stealing was Bailey and the objective. Everything else other than that wasn't needed. until he completed his mission.

It was not as if Bailey didn't care for other people. But emotions were something that had use during free time. There were no emotions in battle. Only Bailey.

It was not as if Bailey was a cold hearted killer. Sure, he didn't worry too much about the people he knocked down to complete the assignment but he didn't go out of his way to hurt. Afterwards he even deposited a tiny dollop of pity for the poor son of a bitch he sent crashing through the wall. But that was afterwards.

The who was Bailey and anyone else who tried to become the who was fooling themselves.

* * *

_Wait for an entrance, Break in, Sneak along, Get spotted, Knock out, Kill?, Keep going, Keep going, Keep going, Look, See, Take, Run, Knock out, Knock out, Knock out, Kill?, Fight, Win, Keep going, Break out, Run._

* * *

What: 

The what changed with his commander's moods but was always basically the same. It was a device that would cause destruction. It was useful information. It was… It was… It was…

What it was didn't matter. What mattered was how fast he could secure it. How able he was to achieve it. Why Brother Blood needed it wasn't a problem. It wasn't the soldier's duty to question his commander. Granted Brother Blood was not his favorite person but he didn't have to be to instruct Bailey.

The what was whatever Brother Blood needed, no more and no less.

* * *

_Wait for an entrance, Break in, Sneak along, Get spotted, Knock out, Kill?, Keep going, Keep going, Keep going, Look, See, Take, Run, Knock out, Knock out, Knock out, Kill?, Fight, Win, Keep going, Break out, Run._

* * *

When: 

The times changed.

* * *

_Wait for an entrance, Break in, Sneak along, Get spotted, Knock out, Kill?, Keep going, Keep going, Keep going, Look, See, Take, Run, Knock out, Knock out, Knock out, Kill?, Fight, Win, Keep going, Break out, Run._

* * *

Where: 

The locations varied.

When and where didn't really matter in the end. They all piled up anyway.

* * *

_Wait for an entrance, Break in, Sneak along, Get spotted, Knock out, Kill?, Keep going, Keep going, Keep going, Look, See, Take, Run, Knock out, Knock out, Knock out, Kill?, Fight, Win, Keep going, Break out, Run._

* * *

Why?: 

He wanted to serve a commander?

Yes

He wanted to be in some form of military?

Yes. Definitions didn's have to be stretched too far to compare the Hive to the army.

He didn't want it to be _the _military?

Yes. The military had killed his father, why would he want to bother with that? Although his father died of it, the love of the army had stayed with Bailey. So as long as it wasn't his father's army he could still do what he loved.

He wanted to steal?

Yes.

Why?

It was damn fun.

* * *

_Wait for an entrance, Break in, Sneak along, Get spotted, Knock out, Kill?, Keep going, Keep going, Keep going, Look, See, Take, Run, Knock out, Knock out, Knock out, Kill?, Fight, Win, Keep going, Break out, Run._

* * *

Who, what, when, where, and why all ran together during a heist. There was no emotion, no questioning, just unyielding accuracy. 

And afterwards, he could become Bailey again.


	14. Monstrous Students

**From a teachers perspective.  
****Disclaimer: I don't own the characters/ setting. I do however depict them how I like.  
****Warnings: Yada yada yada.  
****Bumble Bee is Karen. **

* * *

Miss. Kelly waddled to her desk after her last class of the day had finally finished. She was exhausted and she needed coffee more than any other substance on the planet. Unfortunately those damn kids had finished it all. She would have to speak to Brother Blood about a separate coffee machine for the teachers. God knew they needed it. 

She eyed her empty mug balefully, willing it to fill with the only thing that would keep her going. Sweet and beautiful caffeine. Of course, it didn't fill. Her only powers were turning into a duck and hammering math down the minds of the unsuspecting students.

Her students. Nothing made Louisa Kelly happier than complaining about things. Her students gave her ample opportunity to gripe as long as she wanted to. Although, the only person who would listen to her complain was her sister, who had no powers. That didn't matter; she needed to let it out somewhere.

She _tried _to give them a decent education, really she did. Louisa didn't like children and she absolutely loathed the uppity little snots that she taught here, but at least she tried to teach. The problem was that none of them let her do it. She would spend forty five minutes of HER life shoveling math into the minds of those cynical smart-asses and they wouldn't retain any of it. It caused the woman to question how much she wanted to teach here.

And each of the students was uniquely obnoxious in his or her (or its) own way.

There were those that didn't try. For example Bailey, Hank and Billy. They spent her entire class mouthing off. Billy once even engaged the class in a debate on the affects of Disney movies on the minds of the highly impressionable youth. During her class no less! It was an outrage. And everyone, even the normally good students, had gotten into it. (Except for Jinx, but she had spent the period cursing at Billy, which wasn't much better.)

Hank was absolutely hateful. Every single thing she taught the class he questioned the relevance of. It wasn't fair! She was teaching for the children's sake (loathsome as they all were) and he was disrupting the fragile balance of the classroom.

"Why do we need algebra? Are Earthlings so stupid that they need to put letters in number problems so that they can better understand it?

What's the point of geometry on a heist? Is knowing how to prove two angles congruent going to help us break in? Seriously?"

It was maddening.

And Bailey sat there spacing out the entire time! He was one of the upper classmen, but instead of disciplining the younger monstrosities he _laughed _at the chaos! His test results were scandalous, and he didn't seem to care. And all because he was some arrogant army brat.

Miss. Kelly's nephew Arthur was in the army, thank you very much. And Arthur _certainly _didn't spend his days not paying attention. He learned and he was successful and it was a pity that Bailey couldn't do the same.

Bailey replied that having a name like an aardvark from a children's television show tended to make one a pansy. He added that, Arthur probably spent most of his time begging the other recruits not to shove him into the toilet.

The nerve!

There were the students that did well in the class, but didn't really deserve to. Namely, Angel, Seymour, and Mikron.

Seymour was a very nice boy; he always came into the class with Jinx. They would both smile at her so nicely it almost made her stop hating kids. However, he would spend the class talking with someone or another and she couldn't prove it. She would hear his voice and turn around, but he would already be bending over a piece of paper, seemingly deep in thought.

She wanted to punish him, but he was always so kind and respectful to her that she couldn't.

Angel was a special case. She was always polite to Louisa, but the math teacher could see the contempt hidden behind her eyes. No matter how sweet Angel was to her Louisa always came out of conversations feeling disrespected and looked down upon. As much as Louisa wanted to fail her she couldn't. The girl always did well on tests.

Mikron was absolutely infuriating. It didn't matter to Louisa what his level of intellect was, he was still a child. Children were only good at doing what they were told. Or, that was all children should do. He was disrespectful and insolent. And he was always right. He would correct her problems in the middle of class and call her rude names, but only under his breath. He wasn't even worth attempting to assign a detention to because he would argue his way out of it.

And who really wanted to spend extra time the brat? Certainly not Louisa.

The rest came in a mixed group.

Baron was not accomplished at math and therefore never paid any attention in class. Well, Louisa assumed that he attempted to pay attention, but he would always get side tracked by something or another. He barely scraped by with a C.

Elliot was a monster. In the beginning when she had him he tried very hard to understand the material. It was endearing in a way. But around the middle of the year, something must have snapped. He began skipping classes or showing up and being a general nuisance. Elliot would teleport all about the room and make it impossible to teach.

It was such a shame because he had written her the sweetest poem earlier that year. Granted, she was too old for him, but it had been flattering.

Karen had been such a sweet girl. She always offered to help out after class, and she would come in just to talk to Louisa. Miss. Kelly had been happy to find someone else to complain to. But lately she had begun to get distant and spend more time with Brother Blood. It was a little bit insulting.

Jinx was a darling. She was courteous and intelligent. If only she didn't wear such outrageous clothing. And there was hair dye to fix that hair.

All in all, Miss. Kelly hated the children. A select few weren't as horrible as the rest, but it didn't really matter in the end. Louisa sighed into her empty mug. Maybe she would give her sister Sally a ring; she desperately needed the break after all.

She reached towards the telephone to find that its cord had been torn out of the wall and snapped.

Damn kids.


	15. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story line. Please note that I made up Mikron's past and I don't want a note complaining about what it was in the comic line. I am staying relatively near the comics but the show is very different so I take creative license.  
This is all from Gizzy's point of view, so not all things are totally accurate, since it was biased.  
****Warnings: If you are weak stomached, it could be construed as gruesome. **

* * *

The last time Mikron had gotten a good night's sleep he was about three years old and his mother hadn't left home yet. His father hadn't gotten his job yet. The last time Mikron had gotten a good night's sleep, he was as happy as a cynical ornery three year old could be. 

Things had gone roughly down-hill from there. Mikron was not an absent-minded genius. He noticed everything and he remembered everything. Looking back, he saw the signs of weakening familial bonds just as clearly. The breaking of family love had definitely begun with the job.

His father had worked for the military as a researcher of possible weapons. Mikron didn't think of himself as an army brat, but he knew that he was in a way. His father went to work each morning and came home eventually, pockets brimming with papers and with large never-ending bags under his eyes. Mikron had been fascinated.

Sometimes he stayed up with his father late into the night, on the rare occasion when his dad got to work at home. Mikron would watch, but not comment on what could be done better. He just let his father puzzle out the mistakes on his own. Mikron discovered his genius at three.

His mother was happy before the job. He knew she was. Only, after his father was eaten up by the job, she did not smile as she had before. Her eyes lost whatever happiness had once been in them. Mikron didn't notice, as intelligent as he was, he was blind to common human emotions. He got angry with her, for not being as smart as he was. He was too young to realize the frustration he vented on her came from his growing annoyance in his father's lack of genius. All he knew was that no one was intelligent enough for him and it wasn't fair.

Weren't mothers supposed to understand their children? How come she didn't understand him?

He was four.

He watched her leave from out of his bedroom window. She looked back at the house, once, up at him. He pressed his nose to the window and memorized what he could of his mother. Her dark hair was stringy and messy and her eyes were as dark with sleepless nights as his father. She held up her hand in a brief goodbye and walked down the street, away from him and his father. He watched her until she turned the corner and went to sleep after trying to convince himself that it didn't bother him.

That was the night of The Nightmare.

* * *

_He was in a cage with his mother and it was pitch black everywhere. All you could see was his mother and the gray bars imprisoning them. He turned to look at her. Her face was bloody and scarred. Her eyes were made of shattered black glass. Her blonde hair was a halo atop of her head, whirling outwards and untamed. Because this was a dream, he accepted her appearance as normal. _

_Suddenly the door opened and he knew that he could get out of the cage. He walked out, assuming that she would follow. About fifty paces away he turned to grasp her hand, because all of a sudden he wanted his mother so desperately that he could barely breathe. His fingers grasped the air and he turned back to look for her. She was far off, still in the cage with the door tightly shut, and was clutching at the bars and screaming for him. Immediately he could hear the sound of her shattering sobs and broken glass screams. He tried to turn back, but his legs wouldn't move and his small hands couldn't reach her. _

_She kept on asking why he left her. Over and over until the chorus of betrayal rang in his head. Why did he leave her for his father? Why? _

_The blackness under her feet became liquid and she started to drown in the darkness. She grasped at the bars in order to keep herself afloat, but it pulled her in deeper. Her screams turned to gasps for air. Mikron screamed shrilly and tried to reach her again, but his feet wouldn't move. She was consumed by the black and Mikron woke up with the knowledge that he had killed his mother.

* * *

_

He wondered if his father noticed the note on the bed before Mikron had gotten a chance to read it. Mikron awoke at one in the morning because of his nightmare and had run into the bedroom for his mother. A note lay where she was supposed to have been. For an instant, Mikron had forgotten she had left and her absense seemed like a confirmation of his nightmare.

He took the cruel words his mother had angrily scribbled down from the bed and hid it in his room. His father didn't have to read that.

The entire night, his father was in the basement working.

Without his mother, Mikron began to realize how very alone he was. He resentmed his father for working down in the basements on inventions that lacked creativity. He didn't even make them well. It wasn't fair that he devoted his time to something he couldn't do right. His father was an idiot.

Mikron was five when he realized how much he disliked his father.

A year was swallowed up quickly. His father was in the basement, hiding from his life in the inventions that didn't work and Mikron finally went to school. He was bored and angry there. None of the kids were smart, not like him. He despised coloring and reading books about dogs named Spot. Within three months he was put into second grade, and he still wasn't challenged enough. He began to search for things that would challenge him.

His father stayed in the basement, getting tenser and tenser as his job teetered in the balance. Mikron didn't go downstairs anymore.

The nightmares continued.

When Mikron was almost seven he robbed an ATM. It wasn't all that hard to wire it up for money, but it was more challenging than school was and he got the first rush of excitement he experienced since he had loved his father enough to work with him. He liked it, it was different and it was as bad as he was.

A child who had killed his mother couldn't be anything but bad.

* * *

_It was quiet and he was sitting in a courtroom, handcuffed to a table. The bonds dug into his wrists and everyone was laughing. He couldn't see anyone, but he could feel them watching him and hating him. They hated him so much it hurt. _

_A voice boomed down and asked him if he was guilty. The crowd that he could not see jeered and they placed him in front of a mirror to test his innocence. The mirror swirled with grey smoke before settling on the image of his mother. Her face was cracked and her wispy blonde hair was caked with blood. Her eyes were as black as they were in The Nightmare, but they were angry. _

_The 'why's echoed furiously in his head and made his ears bleed and he began to sob without tears and noise. However his lips twitched into a smile that he didn't mean and mocking laughter burst out of his them even as he writhed internally in guilt. _

_The crowd despised him so deeply, and he hated himself with their same intensity. _

_The mirror swirled with smoke again, but this time the picture was of him. There was nothing but blackness in the mirror and he knew that was what he really looked like. The crowd was scared of him and he wheeled back in fear, suddenly in control of his body. _

_Black black black black black. _

_He wasn't a real person anymore. _

* * *

He didn't steal again until he was eight, but when he did he robbed a bank. He got away with it too. Mikron decided that the thrill was worth the nightmares that came every night no matter what he did. 

His father lost his job.

Mikron hadn't realized how desperately he had wanted his father to lose his job until he had. He realized that he had always retained the hope that once the job was over everything would be okay. His mother would come back and Mikron would be so nice to her and his father would be so nice to her and everyone would love each other again. His hopes were crushed when that didn't happen.

Instead, his father spent even more time in the basement, trying to get his job back with some "brilliant" invention that Mikron knew wouldn't amount to anything.

He grew angrier.

The teachers hated him. He knew all the answers and he was rude. Part of him knew that he wasn't supposed to act this way with older people. He saw the semi-polite attitude that most of the other students held for authority figures and he knew that he should try to mimic it. But they were so _stupid_.

The other students hated him. He was young enough to be an outsider and smart enough to be annoying. He was rude and he hated them too. They taunted at him and stole his books and threw them. Children were always more cruel than adults could be. Whenever someone called him a child he was thrown into a rage, he was not like them. He could never be like them. Children were almost as stupid as adults.

Mikron was a genius, and he knew it.

His father didn't hate him, but that meant that he wasn't paying attention to him. Mikron never quite forgave him for that.

He immersed himself in crime and inventing.

Mikron was picked up by the Hive when he was well into nine. He had a new family there, but he was afraid to get close to them. He stayed as far away from his new friends as possible, but nonetheless found himself growing into his family. He loved a human being for the first time since he had killed his mother.

The nightmares continued anyway.

* * *

_He was on a stake in the middle of a field. Everyone was gathered around and they were laughing. His father was dressed as a priest and, as usual, didn't spare a glance as he convicted his son. Through the crowd's laughter it was plain to see that they all hated him. They all hated his crimes. _

_He didn't raise his voice to defend himself, resigned to his fate. He deserved what they were about to do to him. _

_There was a pile of kindle at his feet. His father lit a match and it illuminated his face that had no features. There was nothing on his face, as always it was blank. He dropped the match into the kindling and Mikron's vision was consumed by red. He wondered how long it would take for him to die.

* * *

_

He went to Angel's room when he woke up and made himself wake her. He sullenly told her the nightmare, glaring at her all the while. She pulled him into a hug and he stayed with her the whole night. The next nightmare, he woke up Jinx because he was too embarrassed to bother Angel again. He alternated between the two.

The nightmares continued, but now he had people to go to, somehow they didn't seem as bad.


	16. Ethics

**As always, oodles of credit to mistressmarrionette for some of the concepts.  
T****he valley girl comment is a reference to Hank's way of speaking.  
****Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.  
****Warnings: Um, anorexia?

* * *

**

"Oh my god, I so didn't know that they had these things here!" Hank cried out with joy and rushed over to the candy rack where he snatched yet another piece of candy which he tossed to Stone.

"I thought you didn't like Earth food." Stone said dryly, looking down at the cart filled to the brim with sweets.

It was their turn to go shopping for the Hive kids, a chance that they only got once every couple of months because of the mysterious Brother Blood's rigid rules. Angel had told Stone, with a frightening expression, that if Hank brought back more than ten packs of candy, she would ring Stone up from the rafters. She had seemed deadly serious, but he had given up trying to dissuade Hank from purchasing anything with sugar.

"I don't!" The skinny boy proclaimed loudly, darting over to something else that Angel would hate Stone forever for. "Candy's just, it's so weird. Good weird I mean. Most of the Earth food is so… impractical. You know? It's hard to choke down. But candy, it's like, sweet. And that's impractical too, but in a better way." He sent an absolutely joyous look at Stone as he continued to splurge.

"Only one more, please" Stone sighed. "For my sake, if not for the sake of your obviously crappy health."

"Geez, you're such a goodie goodie." Hank said as he selected a king sized pack of gummy bears to add to the rapidly filling cart. "What's the point of living if you can't have fun with it?"

That was a concept Hank had discovered when coming to Earth, and he had quickly adopted it, lived by it, and preached it.

"And anyway," the alien continued happily as they walked to a less artery-clogging isle, "all those other bastards are gonna splurge on this too, and you know they will. So long as Seymour sees that they're unopened he'll probably eat it too, and that'll mean everyone else will eat them too. So I've got to get as much as possible!"

Stone rolled his eyes. If someone had asked him a couple of months ago, he would not be venturing to a grocery store with a criminal, and he _certainly _would not be letting the other get whatever he wanted. It was just, they were all so skinny, so he wanted to get whatever food he could into the Hive kids. Even if it was junk.

He never thought he would see the day when he was against the massive intake of junk food. Usually Robin was the one playing the responsible adult who knew when to say no. Robbie was a stickler for health he thought back fondly.

At the Hive, he was the responsible one. Well, he, Mammoth, and Angel.

A couple of months ago he would have never thought that _any _villain, much less Mammoth, would be considered responsible.

Go figure.

"Ugh." Hank let out a groan as they entered the produce isle. "I hate fruit. It's disgusting, can we not get any?"

"Nope." Stone grinned cheerfully. "It's healthy. Plus, Elliot likes some things in produce, as you very well know. So let's get some, okay?"

"Fine." Hank grumbled as Stone started to pick out some fruit, carefully examining each one. "It's just so messed up you know? Like, it grows out of the ground!" He exclaimed incredulously. "It's probably still got microscopic dirt and bugs and stuff on it! It's gross, seriously!"

Stone rolled his eyes. "They wash it and put chemicals on it."

"That's worse! Some of the chemicals, like, kill eagles and stuff. I think its DDT, or something like that, and it makes the eggs all soft and then BAM, dead eaglet."

"You are such a valley girl." Stone rolled his eyes.

Hank flipped him off.

"And anyway," he continued, as always not taking into account the possibility that Stone might not care, "Elliot's a total bitch. Why do we need to get anything for him? You know what he did?"

"You're going to tell me."

"He trashed my room! Like, totally trashed it. All of my stuff is broken, except for the bed, but like that matters. And then when I asked why he did it, he told me he was bored! Just like that. I mean, what the hell?"

"You know he's probably feeling bad about it now."

"That's so not the point."

Stone laughed. "Well, whatever, it's not like he's going to apologize."

"But he seriously should!" Hank scowled. "He gets away with so much crap!"

"So do you." Stone mentioned casually. "You know it's not you that's going to take the heat for all of the candy you bought. It's gonna be me."

Hank smiled devilishly. "That's because Angel says I am so irresponsible that I am 'not in control of my actions' and that it would be 'pointless to try and discipline me.'" He crowed triumphantly. "Even Billy hasn't gotten to that stage yet!"

Stone rolled his eyes again, his lips twitching into a fond smile. It was hard not to like Hank. Or any of the Hive kids, for that matter. Sure, they were all assholes, but they were kind of cool assholes.

They paid in the checkout line, with stolen money, and Hank shoplifted another pack of candy just for the hell of it. Stone tried to ignore the excited unease in his stomach. It wasn't right for him to be getting any sort of enjoyment out of dishonesty. He made a mental note of repay the store for the candy Hank stole, if only to ease his own guilt.

They walked back to the school, Hank bouncing and jabbering the whole way there. They both carried six bags each. It was… nice. Sort of. In a totally undercover way.

Not because he was spending time with a friend. Definitely not that.

"-And Elliot's such a little all-star, but of course he doesn't share his drugs with anyone besides Bailey. He is such a greedy little bi-"

"Wait, all-star?"

"You didn't know? It means someone who uses a lot of different kinds of drugs. Jeez, I thought everyone on Earth knew that."

"Not everyone on Earth is obsessed with drugs, you little hippy." Stone paused for a second. "Wait, what about the song, the one in the beginning of Shrek?"

Hank smirked. "Gives a whole new meaning to the movie, huh?"

Stone gaped.

"That's why we don't let the kids watch it you know. It is probably just about some guy on a really funky trip. It's weird that so many little kids out there watch stuff like that. You know, like Disney."

Stone decided to stay off the topic of Disney. All of the Hive were of the firm belief that Disney was evil and spouted Satanism and drugs left and right. That was the only thing he disagreed with them on, because how could Disney be evil?

Wait, he disagreed with their stealing too. Okay, Disney was one of the _many _things he disagreed with them on. One of the many. Right.

It was easy to forget himself at the school, easy to just have fun. But that had to be wrong, right?

Right.

They got back to the school and distributed the food, Hank kindly stepping in Angel's path when she noticed the excess amount of candy. It was a cool thing to do, Stone thought, and he would probably have to pay for it sooner or later.

He laughed anyway and joked with Seymour and flirted with Jinx and picked on Gizmo. And it was really great.

His arm beeped.

And all of a sudden he was Cyborg again.


	17. Funerals

**I think I just discovered a way to achieve world domination. Sweet! **

**Warnings: History dug up from the trenches of my brain, drugs, at least two hippie references, and mass amounts of theoretical murder. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own. **

* * *

During the reign of the head mistress Hive kids got days off. The younger a student was, the more days that they got off. It was finally that time of month that had been long anticipated by the students, and they didn't have any idea of what to do. It was especially boring because Angel, Bailey, and Mammoth only got one day every three months, and today was not that day. 

So, instead of going out gallivanting through the streets, causing mayhem, doing drugs, playing guitars at people, and being generally hippie dippy, the students were at the park, collapsed in a pile on the grass.

"I'm going to live to be one hundred." Jinx announced out of the blue, her eyes still focused on the clouds lazily making their way over head. "I've decided. I'm going to live to be one hundred and everyone will respect me 'cuz I'll be old and wise and kick their butts if they don't."

Billy sneered. "Stupid, no one lives to be one hundred."

"They do too!"

"Not in our profession, they don't."

"Then I'll be the first." She turned her head from the sky to give him a dirty look. "Anyway, there's no way I'll die before you do."

He conceded that point. "You're too damn stubborn to do that."

"And stupid." Mikron added on. "Have you _ever _heard of a super villain who lived to be one hundred? If you did then he was probably nabbed in his prime and spent the rest of his days in prison." He paused before adding sweetly. "Maybe that'll be you Jinx."

She scoffed. "I'd rather die first."

"We'd celebrate your death." Hank said cheerfully. "It'll be like an end to the Reign of Terror. Y'know, that Chinese period of debauchery and bloodshed."

"Yes Hank, we know." Replied Seymour, not even bothering to open his eyes. "We were all there in History class yesterday."

"We had one of those back home." Hank replied dreamily. "Political upheaval, the whole shebang. It was fun, a lot of people died."

"You're an ass." Jinx said resolutely. "An absolute ass."

"Yep, but he sure is truthful." Billy replied merrily. "Hank, didn't you guys also have one of them Opium war things?"

"Sort of." Hank conceded, looking slightly disgruntled because more than one thing could be linked between his planet and Earth. "We shipped lots of drugs over to an enemy planet, sort of drugs I mean. Like, not what you guys have here. More, I dunno, different though. Anyway," he started to get excited and sat up so he could gesture better, "so the whole planet starts taking this shit, and they're really high. I mean like, you can see the gasses coming off the planet. Their whole atmosphere was swamped, it was awesome." He said reverently. "So then, we stopped supplying right? And, they were all going through massive withdrawal and started killing each other for what was left of the stuff. So they all are killing each other off, right? And then once a lot died, we would start supplying again and repeat the whole damn thing. And then, when we did attack them, they were all too doped out to care!"

All of the kids got out of their lazy positions to look at him in horror.

"That is so-"Jinx tried to say before stopping, a look of half admiration and half disbelief clouded her face.

"Sweet!" Seymour finished her sentence, not bothering to hide his veneration. "Like, you could kill a whole effing planet with that! You could kill a whole, like, civilization!"

"I wonder if we could use that strategy on heroes." Jinx said thoughtfully.

"We probably could." Billy said, deep in contemplation. "The question is, how would we start them on it, you know? It's harder to get specific people addicted."

Elliot looked dreamily around, still imagining the countless drugs. He gave a start with an idea and gestured to the rest fervently.

"Just getting one addicted? That might work actually." Seymour translated.

Hank looked extremely pleased with himself.

"You are all idiots." Mikron scowled. "I'm leaving before my brain cells are drained by being around you."

He got up and stomped away. Jinx stuck out her tongue at his back.

They lay down again and observed the clouds. It was really nice going out in the civvies. All that the people who walked by saw when they looked at them was a bunch of too skinny kids with a little too much street cred then was healthy. They didn't see aspiring thieves, and, as proud as most of the Hive kids were about their chosen professions, it was kind of nice to get away from all of that. Of course, once the pedestrians saw Hank the niceness that came from acting like civilians vanished, but it was nice while it lasted. Plus, they needed to enjoy the only free day that they had in the month, and they certainly weren't going to spend it doing too many illegal things. They did that every other day in the month, after all.

"Hank, you should bring that up for extra credit, lord knows you need it." Seymour said after a little time had passed by with a smirk.

"Mr. Dunham has it in for me!" Hank groaned, thinking back to their no nonsense History teacher that Angel may or may not have been dating.

"No, you're just a crap student." Billy said nonchalantly.

"So are you!" Hank shot back.

"Whatever."

The group was silent once more.

"Hey, if I die before one hundred, not that I'm gonna or anything, but if I do…" Jinx trailed off thoughtfully. "I want all of you to throw a party about me. With all my favorite music and colors and stuff. To celebrate my absolutely fabulous life, okay? No funeral stuff, I can't stand people sobbing like babies. Let's do a party for everyone when they die, instead of funerals, okay?"

"Will do." Seymour replied cheerfully and both Billy and Hank nodded in affirmation.

Elliot's forehead creased in unease. He gestured again, his fingers making agitated movements as he attempted to express his thoughts. Luckily, the Hive kids were getting pretty good at Elliot-isms.

"Everyone's going to die some time." Jinx smiled mischievously. "I just want to go out with a bang when I do, that's all, if I don't live to be one hundred I mean."

He nodded his head fervently as if to say that she would live to one hundred. Jinx gave him her crooked grin while Hank and Billy rolled their eyes behind her back. Seymour edged away from them.

"What?" She snapped, looking back. "Do you have a problem with that jerks?"

A pink hex flew and sent Billy and Hank crashing through the tree. They got up, annoyed.

"I am definitely going to throw a party when _you_ die."

She smirked. "See that you do."

The hexes flew.

* * *

**Okay, I admit it. I am having way too much fun with Hank. **


	18. Protector

**Disclaimer: I really don't own the Titans.  
****Warnings: Slight language.  
****Oh and for the record, I have nothing against janitors. And Baron's memory is spotty/lacking some details with good reason, so please don't review saying I have missed something about succession and what have you.  
****I missed it on purpose.

* * *

**

It would be stupid to say that his takeover had happened suddenly. However much Baron wanted to believe that, he couldn't. He had seen it coming. They all had. It was sad in a way, he based his existence on the ability to protect those around him (using force, but whatever) and the one thing that he might have at least tried to prevent, he sat back and let slide. But it didn't really matter anymore, because Brother Blood was headmaster now.

He had just wanted so badly to protect them. He was one of the only reasonable students at the Hive and it was his duty to stop anything from harming the little bastards, even if they caused it themselves.

Why had he not done anything?

It had happened slowly, in stages that were fairly obvious to those observant. He was observant. All of the students were for that matter; it was part of the profession. Brother Blood began rising in ranks, it was almost funny, in the ironic sort of way that had you halfway between laughing and beating something into a pulp. He had begun as the janitor. The janitor. Not even a fucking teacher with some sort of authority. The sweeper of the hallways. Jesus Christ, how low could they sink?

He was the one that cleaned up everyone's messes. All of Billy and Elliot's mishaps were swept up by their current headmaster. And if Baron had known better, he might have been able to stop him from filing away their misdemeanors for future use. As it was though, hopefully the kids would be okay. What could he do at this point?

Maybe the headmaster had gotten tired of cleaning up after their possibly defective school? Maybe he had wanted to rise to the greatness he so rightly deserved? Wait, what? Never mind. So maybe he was destined for more. Whatever.

Point was, he rose through the ranks slowly, but easily. And they had ignored it too. Angel had called him all sorts of names, looking disdainfully down at him as she commented on his need to 'achieve some authority to make up for his useless days' and that he would 'wash out soon.' Bailey just didn't care. As for him, well, he should have known better.

All of a sudden, or perhaps not so suddenly, the corrupt and deficient headmistress who had taken in them in was gone. Wait, who? He vaguely remembered someone being before Brother Blood, but he could only recall a face, and soon, not even a face. It was fading. It always faded.

He should have rebelled. Beaten the crap out of the man. Something. Something to stop the obvious alterations of authority. Brother Blood being headmaster wasn't okay, it just wasn't.

Except, it wasn't so bad, really. Baron would certainly never like the man, that much was certain, but he wasn't actually as bad as most of the other authority figures in the world. He certainly outshone the crackpot leader of the Brotherhood of whatever. So, really nothing needed to be done, they were fine after all.

And once again, Baron forgot what he had been worried about in the first place.


	19. Deadly Sins

**A little bit of a closer look at Angel.  
****Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.  
****Warnings: Mention of anorexia. Some anger at religion (in particular, the church). Don't be offended, okay? It was not meant as satire or to be taken as fact. Just getting that out there.

* * *

**

It started out being a way to go against her pitiful upbringing in the church. One night with whatshisname was all it took to shatter the porcelain image she felt that the nuns had engraved into her. Sex before marriage, and she was proud of it. Angel radiated female. She exposed herself to all of the aspects of the outside world in a further attempt to push away from the sheltered upbringing the church had provided. She learned of all forms of society, from Beverly Hills to the slums of wherever, she learned it all. Of course, that easily opened her up to deadly sins. She embraced them.

Lust was covered, easily, more than once. She wasn't a whore and she was very selective. But nor was she the good Christian girl that had been raised. Breaking away started there, it was easiest. Lust was a brilliant weapon as well. Easy to secure information, easy to take down pretty much anyone. Lust. How had she not been exposed to this wonderful method of survival?

Her first was just some guy, she didn't remember his name. He was decent enough; she wouldn't have had anything to do with him if he weren't. But whatshisname was useless after he took her oppressive virginity. She dumped him soon after with no regrets. To Angel, he was only a method of securing a point against the church.

Wrath was next. Angel had been a very placid child upon leaving the church. It wasn't until some jackass started hitting on Jinx rather aggressively that she started to feel the emotion. Fury. This was her child and all of a sudden it became imperative that he suffer. He wasn't good enough for Jinx anyway. Angel liked to think that she taught Jinx wrath, and when to use wrath. Wrath became yet another weapon in her arsenal.

Envy was an emotion she was quite used to. As far back as she could remember she had watched the girls attending mass in their glorious dresses. She memorized every little detail on the dress and imagined it on her. Imagined how much better she would have looked in it. Angel was a beautiful child, so why was it that she couldn't experience the lace and other paraphernalia that those ugly creatures could wear every day? They didn't deserve it, but she certainly did. The envy followed her after she left the church, but at that point she could satiate it. Easily.

However there were some sins that Angel had yet to feel. Gluttony, for one. Angel was gorgeous. She had soft features, long tempting legs, straight bright teeth, and a swanlike neck that dipped gracefully down to her overflowing chest. She was a temptress and unattainable, and she wanted to stay that way. She had trouble eating, like most of the Hive students, but her unwillingness to eat was spurred by her dabblings into anorexia. It returned when it wanted, and some days it wasn't there at all. Gluttony was never a problem, she never ate too much. She was ravenous for her own beauty however. Did that count? She scarcely knew at that point.

Angel was never lazy. Sloth would never be experienced, not if she had anything to say about it.

The last two deadly sins she covered though. Pride. Angel was well aware of her attributes, even of things beside her beauty. At times she was haughty about her talents, dismissing other's traits as petty and insignificant. She was the mother figure because was the best equipped and most knowledgeable. And she was damn proud of it. This pride in herself easily transferred into pride of her 'children'. Mother always knew best.

And she only wanted more, so that took care of greed.

Angel defied everything the church stood for simply by her existence. On countless occasions she disobeyed the entire concept of Catholicism and Christianity and any religion she could think of. She expanded her hatred beyond the walls of the church.

Wrath. Wrath. Wrath.

Why was it then, after all of her breaking away, that she still couldn't bring herself to say hell? Why couldn't she manage to take the Lord's name in vain? She couldn't bear to blaspheme. Why?

It wasn't fair; she had been doing everything else right.

* * *

**No angry reviews telling me to quit blaspheming allowed as it was not intended to offend. **


	20. Bravado

**A little character piece on Punk Rocket's integration into the Hive.  
****I'm not overly fond of Rocky being British, but I did include some phrases etc. Put the accent in if you really want to.  
****Disclaimer: I don't own anything  
****Warnings: Actually, not anything wildly questionable. I think.  
****Rocky is Punk Rocket. **

Rocky wasn't really a part of the Hive. Wasn't even close, actually. He maintained that it was because of his hard rocker personality and going to school would cramp his style. And totally crush his beat. But that wasn't the real reason.

It was hella hard to get in for one thing. Plus, all of the people his age had gotten in when they were like eight, so he was way past his expiration date. Most of the kids joined the Hive by the time they were nine, and even that was cutting it kind of close. He was almost 13 by the time that he moved to Jump from the UK, and that age was not gonna cut it. The youngest kid of the Hive who was out and about was eleven and a genius, so how could Rocky compare to that?

He wasn't even a super villain yet. Hell, he wasn't even a villain yet. His expertise was shop-lifting petty objects (and porn) to look cool in front of his stoner friends and joining one wannabe band after the other.

He knew he had a power, and it was an awesome one. He could do stuff with music. He showed it off a lot, if there was one thing that Rocky was good at, it was showing off. He liked attention, and lots of it.

His mom worked a lot, but that was no big deal. Lots of moms worked a lot in Jump, especially in the part he lived in. There were Titans and whatever in the super rich clean streets of the East part of the city, but the West side was total crap. The pavement was grimy and the walls were covered in graffiti. He wanted to be able to take credit for some of the awesome paint jobs, but despite being artsy in the musical stand point, his drawings were rubbish.

He hated orchestras and concerts, a waste of time if you asked him. They were too peaceful and there was no grit to them. He went to jail the first time by mussing one up, with his powers. His marvelous new-found powers. From the time he was a child whenever he had gotten access to an instrument he had played, and he had never played a wrong note. Ever. After he got more into playing various instruments he had wondered what would happen if he played something that would sound awful together. He blew down a wall with his guitar. It was brilliant.

So he crashed a concert with his friends and showed them what he could do. He didn't think he would get in that much trouble. But apparently, the people of Jump got annoyed about that sort of thing, and it had landed him in jail. If he was just a kid, he probably could've gotten off with a semi-light sentence, but he was a meta-human. So he went to jail with the orange jumpsuits and the kids that were so much more bad-ass than him it wasn't even funny.

It was in the jail that he had met Seymour. It was Rocky's first day at the meta-human prison and he was more or less freaking out over being there. The other boy had spotted him, grinned, and sauntered over.

"Hey man, what're you in for?" He settled down near Rocky's spot in the large holding cell.

"Blew up a concert." Rocky replied, concentrating on seeming tougher than he actually felt. "It had such awful music. I couldn't take it anymore."

Seymour laughed and held out his hand. "Seymour's the name. I had my 'eye' on you." He chuckled warmly at his stupid pun. "You could pull off a super villain lifestyle my friend."

"Nah." Rocky replied. "I'm too old to get started. Those kids at the Hive got going way before me; I'd stick out like a sore thumb."

"Ya don't have to join the Hive." Seymour looked at him, his forehead creasing. "Jeez, I wouldn't recommend that place to anyone. I mean, we're all hella cool and all, but the school system is whacked. You'd be much better on your own."

"You're from the Hive?" Rocky sent a look towards him, slightly more interested.

"Yes I am." Seymour smiled proudly, and reached over to ruffle his hair. He grinned. "You're the only person I can do that to; all the people younger than me at the academy don't have hair or wouldn't let me." He laughed again.

"You seem oddly happy for a person in a prison cell."

"This is like my twentieth time, probably much more." Seymour shook his head, still grinning. "I get caught for fun all the time; it gives me a couple of days off of school. Anyway, Elliot'll just break me out again." At Rocky's questioning look he elaborated. "Jail is kind of the way we get a day off of school. The cops know that they can't keep us in, but they put us in here for the ceremonial value." He waved at a cop walking by the large holding cell. "Hey Frank, how are the kids?"

"Fine." The cop, dubbed Frank, gave Seymour a fond smile. "How long are you in for?"

"Should be only a couple more minutes."

"All right, see you next time kid."

At Rocky's incredulous look Seymour said cheerfully, "Frank's cool. He got used to the whole me breaking out of prison thing ages ago. It helps if you're really polite. He's one of my friends now."

Rocky would learn that Seymour collected friends like most normal people collected stamps.

They sat there a little while longer, Rocky's false bravado slowly melting into actual confidence as they talked. All of a sudden, a small pale figure appeared in front of them. His violet hair was tussled and, Rocky noticed, he was as skinny as Seymour. Did these kids not eat or something? Weird.

The new guy, presumably Elliot, gave him an odd look before turning to Seymour. He glared at the black boy and spun away promptly, showing his back.

"C'mon Elliot, I really wasn't ready for the infiltration test today. You can't blame me for skipping." Seymour said in a pleading and rational tone. The other boy didn't move, just sniffed disapprovingly. "I promise not to do it again."

Elliot sent a disbelieving look back.

"This month." Seymour amended. "Anyway, you do it for fun! It's so not fair that I can't!" He turned to Rocky. "Elliot always gets himself caught, then teleports away at the last possible second just to annoy the police. He's a hypocrite, especially since I'm doing it with a purpose."

Elliot snorted again, but reached over and grabbed Seymour's shoulder.

"Hold up, I'm coming too." Rocky said, trying to sound assertive.

Elliot rolled his eyes, but nonetheless grabbed Rocky's shoulder with his other hand. In a whirl of black they were out of the jail cell. Still inside, Frank rolled his eyes and wondered why the police force even bothered.

They appeared somewhere in the center of the city. On the roof. Rocky stifled a scream as he went slipping down the slope in surprise. Figures that a Hive kid would teleport them to one of the only sloped roofs in the city. Just as he was about to topple off the frightening view disappeared in the blackness of Elliot's cold pocket universe. They reappeared back on the roof, Rocky fully prepared for the landing.

"Thanks man, I don't have my guitar with me so I would have been in trouble."

Elliot's previously uninterested stare sparked with something akin to curiosity. He turned to Seymour and gestured. Rocky looked on in confusion.

"Yeah man, he uses music n' stuff. Didn't know he could fly on a guitar though." Seymour turned to look at Rocky. "Pretty sick."

Rocky flushed at the praise and straightened up higher under Elliot's scrutinizing stare, it was the first time the other boy had looked at him in anything but derision in the short time Rocky knew him. Apparently, music was what it took to get into Elliot's semi-good books. Rocky could be musical. He _was_ musical.

And thus Rocky was introduced to the Hive.

He had gone home to his furious mother. Rocky couldn't really blame her for being so pissed, he had been sent to prison after all, but he was still feeling rebellious and brave after the days events. So he disregarded her concern, her fury, and her emotions. They didn't matter, because for the first time he felt almost cool.

Years later Rocky looked back and regretted ignoring his mother, but even though her apartment in Jump was only ten minutes away, he couldn't bring himself to go there. He wondered if she even wanted to see him again.

He had been lucky; he met Angel and Baron next instead of the other Hive kids. They were easier to get used to and had accepted him, Angel, in a slightly suspicious mothering way. He slowly became, if not one of her kids, at least her nephew. Baron had gruffly accepted him, waved a dismissing hand in his direction, and grunting his approval.

Bailey had been next; he had given Rocky a once-over, but then turned away. At Rocky's look of concern, Seymour shrugged and said "that means you're okay."

Okay then.

"Where do you always go?" Rocky's mother said, in barely veiled irritation.

"No where." Rocky replied sullenly, slamming the refrigerator door and stalking out of the kitchen

If he had looked at her harder, he might have seen the worry induced lines under her exhausted eyes. He hadn't looked harder though.

Jinx warned him away. He had been introduced to her while she was in one of her melancholy moods. Apparently, her moods teeter-tottered nearly constantly.

"You know, you would be better off without us." She said, in an almost conversational tone with a severe element behind it. "The whole Hive is, excuse the term, bad luck."

Seymour scoffed at her dramatics, but his eyes seemed a little too serious to be mocking.

Rocky looked at her in confusion, smothering his panic at her words. Did they not want him to hang out with them or something? Was he not good enough? The bravado he had mustered up since meeting the Hive wavered dramatically. "What do you mean? I can take the heat!" He boasted desperately.

"Look, nothing personal. We just have a knack for sapping the resources of outsiders."

He tried to give her his most determined expression.

She rolled her eyes, but conceded. "Whatever. Hey, don't be surprised if Billy and Hank are less than friendly. Those assholes don't like anyone but themselves.

His mom hadn't come home yet. Rocky tried to pretend that he wasn't waiting up for her. That he didn't care. She was really late, later than she had ever been. Usually he was the one who got home at night after her, not the other way around.

He didn't like the feeling.

When she did get home he pretended to be asleep, so she would never know that he waited up worrying about her.

Hank and Billy hadn't liked him, and had been wildly sarcastic about his presence. That hadn't bothered him too much, since Jinx had warned him previously.

What had really stuck was their comment about the Hive liking him, but thinking he was a poser. Things that were true hurt more than falsehoods.

Vito hadn't liked him either, but his observations had been even more cut throat, and even more true. Rocky felt drained after that little encounter. But he pretended he was okay. The Hive was pushing him through more emotions than he had ever felt in his life, and he wasn't even in it.

He only hung out with the Hive kids once in a while, he had friends in the school, but he wasn't all that close to them. It was okay though, he had friends outside. And once he met the Hive other connections easily formed. He became integrated. He became the super villain that he had always wanted to be. Well, he was a little bit easier to bust than he would have liked, but that was okay. He had his music. And he had his connections.

He tried to pretend he didn't miss the mother that he had moved away from ages ago.

He wondered if she thought about him much.


	21. Hardest

Let me just say right here that I don't know comic backgrounds, and as this isn't the comics section for Teen Titans, I would

**Let me just say right here that I don't know comic backgrounds, and as this isn't the comics section for Teen Titans, I would really appreciate not getting any reviews telling me that I'm wrong. (This hasn't happened yet, but it's a precaution for this chapter). Oh, and for the record, I don't support the use of drugs, but I think they are one of the aspects to life (because they affect everyone-using or not) so in they go.**

**Warnings: Lots of death in this one, drug references, alcohol references, and some angst. **

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The first kill was always the hardest.

Angel's first was on her second heist. It was after she escaped. She was hiding in an alley waiting for the cops to go by when a man grabbed her wrist and held a gun to the back of her head. She had been terrified; for once all of the feminine confidence left her completely. He mocked her quietly, in a hoarse voice, and told her to get down. Get down now. He had picked the wrong girl, obviously, and with a swift fighting move that she had learned at the Hive, she disarmed him and broke his neck.

It had been so easy. His awful hand let go of her wrist in death and he slumped to the ground. He was disgusting. His cheeks were covered with stubby hair that he hadn't bothered to shave. His eyes were small, but opened wide with residual surprise. He was greasy and messy and stone dead. She wondered who his mother was, if she was waiting up late for her baby to call, because he hadn't yet that day. Angel wondered if his mother would cry when they found the body. She left the alley.

Later, when she was teaching her kids, she told them of her first kill. She wanted to play it off as a joke, as some of the other students did, because that would make it more bearable. If she didn't feel the guilt, maybe it would go away. But she wouldn't let herself. She hinted to them at how much it had hurt her, even though he was the instigator. She told them of the sorrow each of them would feel after their first, because they were her kids dammit, and they had to know. However she never told anyone that she sometimes woke up at night with his last words ringing in her ears.

The first kill was always the hardest.

Bailey had always privately entertained the thought that Angel's first kill was a mercy. Because Angel killed some bastard that had really deserved it. Angel's kill could be written off as self-defense. Angel had been held at gun point in an alley, to Bailey, that was a hella good excuse to kill. He hadn't been so lucky.

His first kill had been on an assignment. The Hive did assassinations, and students were required to make their first kill at as young of an age as possible. Bailey had been ten when he joined the Hive; he was about eleven when he had been put on an assassination mission. It wasn't an easy mission. Before he went on it, he had been proud that the school thought him good enough to go on a mission as tough as the one he was assigned. He was to kill a top official from the freaking mafia, if that wasn't tough, he didn't know what was.

It had been hard, so damn hard. The infiltration was easy enough, especially with the technology that Hive gave him. But the mafia member was a top official for a reason. Even after Bailey had disabled his nine body guards the Hive child still had a huge fight ahead of him. And the mafia member fought dirty. But then, so did Bailey. After what seemed like hundreds of attacks and counter-attacks they finally came into a dead-lock of strength. Somehow, Bailey won. The other man was overpowered and Bailey thrust a knife through his neck.

It took him ages to die. Bailey didn't even realize what had happened until he made it back to the school. He was so high on adrenaline and fear, honest to god fear, that he was able to think of little else but making it back to where he was safe. The intensity of his act dawned on him just as he entered his room. He had killed a man. The worst thing was that the poor bastard hadn't even done anything to Bailey personally. The man didn't even know the name of his killer.

Bailey spent the night throwing up, trying to rid himself of his own self-loathing.

Bailey didn't talk about his first kill much, but when he did he was blasé and frank. He told the kids the facts of what happened and said that the first would be the worst kill of their life. But Bailey went on living and did all that was possible to forget. And when he died, Bailey knew that there would be a man in the afterlife that would finally have his revenge. If there even was an afterlife, he didn't really care at that point.

The first kill was always the hardest.

Baron had killed before coming to the Hive. He would like to say that his first kill was the worst type of kill, but he knew that everyone's first kill was terrible to them. His first was an accident, a terrible accident that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He had been in kindergarten, and it was before he outwardly displayed the absolute signs of a meta-human. Granted, he was larger than the other children, a bit hairier, and stronger. But he did what he could to hide his strength and he had some tentative, slightly frightened, friends. And really, he was as normal as he could be under the given circumstances.

It had been during free time when it happened. His teacher had taken away his play dough and given it to another child. The other little boy had told the teacher that he wasn't sharing. No one had asked him to share and Baron had felt unbelievably angry at this unfair turn of events. With his vision turning red in child-like fury his swung a punch at the teacher.

Unfortunately, with his strange strength that was just beginning to develop, he sent the teacher flying into the wall. The woman's skull had cracked and there had been nothing any doctor alive could have done. Baron had been understandably horrified and did everything but shut down. All potential he had for being a star student was lost as he struggled to cope with his first.

Baron never talked about his first kill at the Hive, although he had long since grown past being ashamed of it. He was a child, and children did stupid things when they were angry and not thinking straight. Even though he never was able to devote as much thought to school as he might have been, he learned to move past his shame at losing control and taking a life.

But sometimes late at night, he grieved for the women who killed without the intention, and wondered if she would have been happier having been killed for a reason. Not that he'd ever find out.

The first kill was always the hardest.

Hank said that he was proud of his first kill, and he kind of was, in a weird sort of way. He had been assigned the most awesome mission ever for the military. He got to kill a freaking king. Like a real life crown wearing king who sat on a real life thrown and had a real life harem of wives. That had to be the coolest thing ever, seriously.

His planet was awesome enough that he didn't need and stupid hand-to-and combat to off the guy, not like on earth. He just planted a bomb in the king's bed. It was kinda funny that the guy didn't think to have it checked before he went to sleep, but he didn't, and he totally blew up. Hank was no where near the castle when it happened. After the death of the late ruler, Hank's planet was able to take over the planet, no sweat.

It wasn't until Hank was commended for his assassination the next day by his commander that it hit him. The dude in the long pompous cape with the giant staff was kaput, and it was all Hank's doing. A person who had been alive just the day before was no longer among them because of Hank. For some reason, that freaked him out a lot more than it should have.

The first kill was always the hardest.

Jinx didn't believe in the afterlife, she thought it was a pansy ideal. She knew that the real truth, the cold hard truth, was that people stopped living and that was it. There was no happy place in the sky, no fiery inferno, no reincarnation, no ghosts, nothing. Everything just stopped in death.

Her first kill had been when she was a child and, like Baron, she had lost control. The story of her life. She had accidentally killed a little boy in India, a couple of years younger than her, when she was seven. He had been parroting his parents, saying cruel things about her skin, her hair, and her eyes. She had freaked and the bad luck just came.

He was hit by a car almost instantly, and Jinx knew that it had been her fault. She had been sad, of course, but mostly she had felt ashamed. So ashamed it felt as if she would never love herself again, not that she loved herself much in the first place. Thankfully, coming to the Hive toughened her up, and she slowly began to lose any hatred in herself besides the hate of her powers. Although, hating her powers was almost like hating herself.

Jinx didn't believe in an afterlife, because she hated the thought of that little boy being stuck young forever, never being able to grow up. She'd rather that people just stop when they died.

The first kill was always the hardest.

Seymour had killed first for the Hive. But it wasn't that he hadn't been exposed to other opportunities to kill; he had grown up in the big city. And not the good part of the neighborhood either. The bad-ass greasy grimy graffiti-covered alley ways. And he loved it. He loved the gang fights and he loved the constant flash of police cars and the thrill he felt trying to get away from the scene because he didn't want to be a witness or suspected or anything like that.

Seymour lived for the constant drama and the fast-paced thrill ride that was his life.

But he knew that sooner or later something was going to happen and he would be in a kill-or-be-killed situation. He didn't dread that day exactly, it was actually a little bit exciting. And Seymour liked excitement.

His first mission coming to the Hive had been simple. Steal some jewels from a museum because the Hive was getting low on finances. The Hive usually didn't stoop to such easy stuff, but it was good training material for the kiddies and easy cash. Seymour had been excited despite his older classmate's statements that it was an easy sort of mission. Seymour didn't care. It was new and it was going to be so much fun.

The guard there took his job pretty damn seriously. Seymour had managed to progress through much of the building without running into trouble. He could see where trouble was. But he was still a child, and excitable child, so he was distracted for an instant. The guard jumped him. They had fought for a minute, maybe two, before the man's eyes had widened and he got a look at the kid he was fighting. The _kid _he was fighting.

That was all of the distraction that Seymour needed. He fired a laser with his eye. It had gone straight through the man's head. He died almost instantly. Seymour sat there after it was done before standing up and slowly moving towards the jewel, his body in auto-pilot.

That hadn't been exciting at all.

The first kill was always the hardest.

Elliot was different; he knew that without having to be told. He didn't react to things in the same ways as his friends did. What made them laugh sometimes made him sad. What made them horrified sometimes made him giggle nonstop. He could drink like a fish, take countless drugs, and not come out any worse for wear. This acute difference wasn't obvious all of the time, but it was there enough to assure Elliot that he was far from ordinary.

He didn't like that, nor did he dislike it, it was one of those facts of life.

The biggest difference between his friends and him was that he didn't see the problem with killing. He wasn't insensitive. Actually, in many situations, he was one of the most sensitive members of the Hive. But still, killing someone he wasn't friendly with didn't really bother him. That's why when he was assigned his first assassination; he brushed off the older student's advice. He wasn't worried, he wasn't scared, and it would be over soon anyway.

It had been an easy kill. He just placed his fingers on the right part of the head and used his powers. The politician died without pain even before he slumped to the ground and Elliot teleported away. Easy.

He didn't understand why he cried himself to sleep that night. He didn't understand where the weight he suddenly carried had come from. Elliot wasn't used to guilt and it hurt. A lot. He didn't understand, it should have been easy.

Maybe he was more like his friends than he thought.

The first kill was always the hardest.

Billy didn't think about his first kill and Billy didn't talk about his first kill. It had been on a mission, but most kills were, it wasn't like he went out ion the street killing every damn person he saw. He might have been a criminal, but he wasn't a psychopath.

The person he was killed, Billy didn't remember exactly who it was, or even what they looked like, but that person had fought back. Billy vaguely remembered getting stabbed, but he didn't dwell on the memory. Pain didn't really affect Billy, and it hadn't then. Billy had stabbed back.

He had won, obviously, or he wouldn't have been living where he was. He didn't remember the person, he didn't remember the face, but he remembered the kill. He remembered the stab. He couldn't decide what bothered him the most, the fact that he killed a person or the fact that he was more than the petty criminal that he had always aspired to be.

Billy hadn't wanted to be a murderer.

The first kill was always the hardest.

Mikron's first kill had been quick and painful, for the other person at least. He had used one of the guns that he created and blasted a hole in the other man's stomach. He died from blood loss among other malfunctions of his body. Mikron hadn't let himself look at the body, because his nightmares were bad enough already.

He had gone back to the Hive and spent the night inventing. And the next night. And the next night. The fourth night he slept and had the worst nightmare he had ever had in his life. He pulled another all-nighter the following night, to escape the nightmares.

And really, he was much more efficient when he wasn't sleeping. He hadn't slept much in favor of inventing even before the kill.

All-nighters every night, he wasn't stupid enough to think that he could live that way for long. Mikron didn't make a habit out of creating delusions for himself. It would be just one more night, and then he would face the guilt. Just one more night.

The first kill was always the hardest.

All of the members of the Hive had killed before, but they weren't killers. It was pointless to try to convince anyone of that however, so no one tried. It was enough that they knew it themselves.

Well, sometimes it was enough.


	22. Icon

**So I was halfway through when I realized that Frank was an OC. It had honestly never occurred to me because in my mind he is so not a major character. Anyone who gets annoyed by OCs, DON'T PANIC. The entire chapter is focused on Hivey types. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing (but I guess I own Frank, oh, and one other guy)**

**Warnings: 1 curse word… oops. **

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It had been Frank's third day on the job when he had met Seymour. He had slowly been growing used to the fact that he was guarding a meta-human prison, that hadn't been the problem. However, when some other guards had ushered a skinny slip of a kid into the holding cell, he was a little shocked. Frank was a good cop, so he covered up the surprise admirably, but that hadn't stopped him from glancing as the kid was being pushed by him, just once. The child had given him the widest smile he had ever seen.

Frank looked away.

About an hour later a voice called out from behind him. "Heeeey mister cop!"

Frank looked around out of the corner of his eye and once again saw the tiny black boy who could have couldn't have been a day over seven, maybe eight. He turned back, facing the wall once again.

"I'm Seymour! Do you have a name, mister cop?"

Frank didn't answer. Child or not, he was still in a jail cell, meaning that he had done something wrong. Seymour tried to talk to him a few more times, before huffing and going deeper into the cell. A few minutes later Frank decided to turn around, because he couldn't trust the other criminals with a kid as small as that one, metahuman or otherwise.

Most of the others in the cell had slumped over in despair. Seymour, however, was bouncing around from person to person excitably, and not the least bit scared. On one of his bounces around the room, he turned and saw Frank staring. Given a gasp of delight, he bounded over.

"Mister Cop, you have a face!" The little boy beamed at him again. "And here I was all worried." He laughed.

Frank crushed a smile before it came out. This kid was a criminal, remember that. "What do you want kid?"

"Do you have a name, I don't wanta keep callin' you mister cop all the time. It's weird."

"Yeah, I have a name kid." Frank replied stonily.

"Wanna tell me what it is?" Seymour asked, keeping his grin.

"Hey kid, shut the fuck up!" Another inmate called from the other side of the room.

"Aww, is the poor widdle baby sad because he's in jail?" Seymour crooned back. The other man growled back, but didn't move. The metahuman prison eventually made everyone weary. It would only be a matter of time before Seymour was feeling its effects.

At the very least, it would calm the kid down.

Frank sighed, and was about to turn back to his post, but all of a sudden there was a whirl of black. A skinny pale boy with a shock of violet hair appeared. He jumped to Seymour's side.

"Just a sec Elliot, could we-"The boy's voice tapered off. The other boy, presumably Elliot, nodded shortly. Just as Frank lunged for the cage in order to stop what he suddenly realized was going to happen, the two vanished just as he feared.

Then from behind him he heard the little boy's voice again. "Frank Mason, huh? Nice to meetcha Frank Mason, 30 years old, from Arizona."

Frank whirled around and just barely caught the wallet that had been thrown back at him. "See you!" Seymour cried happily. The two little boys disappeared again.

Frank had, understandably, panicked and rushed to find one of the other guards. They just laughed and told him not to worry about it, there was no way to keep kids from the Hive for long.

That had been Frank's first time really hearing about the Hive. And now he had two skinny faces to match with the name.

He didn't see Seymour for a while after that, and while he never really forgot the boy, the memory went to the back of his mind. He had bigger things to do, after all.

The next time he saw Seymour the boy looked like he was eight years old. But Frank couldn't be sure; he was even skinnier than he was the last time.

Unlike the last time however, the boy sauntered right into the cell, not waiting for the cops to escort him there. The newer cop who had been positioned to stand with Frank, Ron, looked bemused.

"Is that normal?" He asked Frank confusedly. Frank shrugged, and sent over a half-hearted smile.

"Frank!" He heard joyfully from behind him. "I didn't see you there!" Seymour came over the edge of the cell confidently. "How have you been?"

"All right." Frank said dryly. "I see you've been caught again."

Seymour laughed. "Yup. I don't know what happened, one minute I was robbin' a bank real nicely, then all of a sudden, I get a pair of cuffs slapped on me." He laughed again. "Oops."

"When are you getting picked up?" Frank had grown used to criminals escaping all of the time, and was slowly becoming indifferent to it. He had to admit, the fact that criminals escaped so easily still bothered him. But there wasn't much he could do about it.

Ron had never witnessed it, and looked confused. He would find out soon enough.

Seymour appeared to be considering it. "Well, Angel said if I'm gonna be dumb enough to get caught, I ought to stay there a day and reflect. Baron said they'd break me out soon enough. And Elliot'll probably come for me, unless he's having one of his bitchy days. So I don't really know, could be any time!"

"Break you out?" Ron cut in, looking scandalized. "What're you talking about brat? You're here until the end of your sentence!"

Seymour looked at him pityingly before turning back to Frank. "New recruit?"

Frank nodded shortly, wincing as he prepared himself for what was to come. Most criminals took great pleasure out of the game 'break the newbie'. As adept at making friends as Seymour was, Frank had a feeling that he Seymour was no exception. He could only hope that the boy's natural charisma would gentle the blow a bit.

Seymour sighed and, sure enough, turned back to Ron and said, in a conversational tone "Look, Ron was it? Let me explain something for your own personal peace in mind. See those guys in there?" He waved an arm carelessly at the near-comatose criminals decorating various sides of the room. "Well, I'm different. Those guys, they aren't the real criminals. They're the ones who tried stealing once, using their powers, and got their asses kicked because they didn't properly train. They're the ones who wallow here for a while, because they're too stupid to know that you guys drug up the food. That's not me, I've trained. Sure, I got caught, but I could get out of here right now if I wanted. I just don't want to blow up the jail-house. Do you kind of get my meaning?"

Ron's face was slowly turning red in anger. He whirled on Frank. "What is the point of cops if they can't even hold an eight year old in prison?" he hissed.

Frank sighed, feeling a wave of pity for the new recruit. "I dunno Ron, I can't understand it much myself."

Just then, like Frank knew he would, a tiny boy appeared in front of them. He looked up and Frank and the scowling Ron, before sending back his own scowl fiercely. Seymour giggled from behind them. Frank put a pacifying hand on Ron's shoulder so that he wouldn't lunge at the little boy in an attempt to keep the criminals in jail. It wouldn't do them any good.

"C'mon Elliot, I wanna go!"

The other boy's scowl only got fiercer and his hands flew through a series of motions.

Seymour laughed again. "Because you're the only guy that can teleport, of course."

Elliot rolled his eyes, but appeared in the cage anyway, and with a flash Seymour and he were gone.

Frank turned to Ron, worrying that he had lost another recruit. Most new cops, unable to cope with the terrible reality of the city's police situation and their inability to keep the ones they really needed to in jail, would quit right away. He had begun to like Ron, but if the other man wanted to quit that was too bad.

"They're both so young." Ron said to him, his face transfixed.

"I know." Frank said back, and he did.

Ron quit a few days later.

A couple of months later, Jonathan Sikes was somehow caught and was transferred to Frank's jail cell. Honestly, the teenager hadn't made much of an impression on Frank. He had seen criminals go and come, and despite Johnny's grey skin and hard-rocker attitude, Frank wasn't all too affected.

He hadn't expected the metahuman to stare at the back of his head for a couple of seconds, before confidently coming over.

"Hey, you Frank?" Johnny said, his voice unconcerned, but vaguely interested.

"Yeah." Frank responded.

"Cool. Seymour's mentioned you a couple of times."

"You know the kid?" Frank turned to face Johnny, a little more interested in what he had to say. It wasn't that Frank was particularly attached to Seymour; however, the boy had been his first glimpse of what it felt like to have a criminal escape from your clutches so easily. Frank sometimes thought, that if it hadn't been a little boy escaping, he might have left the force like Ron. Seymour was his first escapee, so Frank was semi-emotionally invested in the child.

"Obviously." Johnny snorted. "He likes you, but then, Seymour likes pretty much everyone," he paused, then added as an after thought, "and expects to be liked in return."

Frank gave him a thin smile. "That does sound like him. How old is he anyway?"

Johnny scrunched up his forehead in thought. "Maybe nine? I dunno."

"He's small then."

Johnny scoffed. "They're all small. You've probably seen Elliot too, right? Little pale guy who Seymour always hitches a ride off of? They're all about that size."

"I take it you're not part of the Hive then."

Johnny snorted. "Hell no, I don't need that school. What they do to those kids is sick."

Frank wanted to ask what he meant, but there was really nothing he could do about it, even if he did know. They sat in silence for a couple more minutes, before Johnny sauntered over to the other wall, smashed a hole in it, and fled the prison.

Frank wouldn't have chased after him even if he thought he could catch him.

Seymour started coming to prison more and more frequently as the years went on. However, Frank was almost positive that the thief let himself be caught nine times out of ten. He was getting skinnier and bags the size of dinner plates decorated his eyes. With a weary grin, Seymour never could stop from smiling, Seymour told Frank that he needed a break, and jail was the best place to get one.

On that particular occasion, it had been a day and a half before his friend had come to pick him up. Maybe he had taken so long so that Seymour could rest? Elliot looked just as thin and tired as him.

Seymour had slept with his back to the wall and had one eye open at all times. What was the Hive doing to those kids?

"Do you have kids Frank?" Seymour asked him, on one of his numerous jail 'visits'.

"Yeah, a little girl and boy."

"Twins?"

"They sure are." Frank gave a small smile, a proud look overtaking his face. "They're good kids."

"Not gonna sell 'em?"

"No, I think we'll keep them."

From then on, Seymour always asked him about his kids. Frank wondered if it was because he wanted to look in on a situation where a family was working, just for a second. But that might not have been true. Maybe he was just interested in his kids. Frank never knew what to think with Seymour.

He saw some of the other Hive kids too, but they were less willing to talk with him. He did remember their faces though. Billy was skinny, like the rest of them, and had a big attitude to make up for his short stature. Hank stuck to Billy like glue when they were in jail together, and alone seemed to have a knack for making an enemy out of everyone in the prison cell. Frank saw Baron, Mikron, and Jinx one time, and only recognized them from Seymour's description. A little boy who was bald and angry, a pink haired girl that was skinny as a rail, and a strong boy in his early teens that took on the responsibility. Elliot was there almost constantly, for jail breaks and sometimes just because he was bored and felt like getting caught.

Although Frank never really talked to them, he grew fond of them in the way one grows fond of a person they always see on the subway. A detached affection.

He found himself looking forward to the time Seymour spent in jail. Since there was no way in hell he was going to subject himself to spending time with the Hive boy outside of his job, Seymour was enough trouble when he was working (And Frank wasn't masochistic), the only time Frank saw the kid was when Seymour was in jail.

Frank looked back to the time when he had hated the fact that criminals escaped from the jail, and laughed. Sometimes it still bothered him, that the people seeking to harm the city got out and could harm others, but now that the villains had a face, it didn't bother him so much,

Franks image of a villain was Seymour, and honestly, that wasn't such a terrible icon to deal with.


	23. Preparation

Holy Crap, this took me a long time to get out. And it's only okay. Whatever. Sorry for the freakish wait, I was away having an actual life… unfortunately.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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"Well, which is your favorite already?" Jinx sighed in exasperation, shoving two dresses with the exact same color scheme (black and pink, of course) into Elliot's face.

The teleportor looked up from where he was doodling on her wall and huffed in annoyance. He turned his back to her and started to draw a nasty caricature of one of their teachers. Jinx whirled around to look at Seymour, who was lounging on a chair on the other side of her room.

"And what about you?" She yelled accusingly. Both Seymour and Elliot gritted their teeth at harsh frequencies she was reaching. "Aren't you supposed to be the gayest straight guy on campus? Help me!" She wailed.

Seymour glared at her while Elliot snickered in the background. "If you want a best gay friend go chat up Tony." He said loftily, turning his back on her. "And besides, why would you need fashion advice just to go to some retarded dance?"

Elliot gave piercing look to the back of Seymour's head, which he dutifully ignored. Jinx sent a wave of bad luck, toppling Seymour out of his seat. "Bitch!" He exclaimed.

"C'mon Seymour. I really want to look good for this dance," he opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, "not just good though. I want to look drop-dead gorgeous! I want everyone to see me come in and stop and stare because they know that they'll never look as good as me!"

"And I want a million freaking dollars, but that isn't going to happen, is it?"

Elliot turned around and quirked an inquisitive eyebrow, making the shape of a halo above his head. Jinx groaned in apparent agony. "Angel's at a heist remember?" She gave a sad sniff. "She's missing the one dance that we've ever had in the history of ever!"

"That is kind of weird." Seymour said slowly. "Why now, of all the times, of all the regimes, are we actually getting a recreational activity? I mean, it's not really Brother B's style to give us anything fun."

"Probably for some sinister purpose." Jinx said dourly, still surveying the two garments that she had draped over her bed. "But I don't care. Unlike you morons, I'm going to actually enjoy myself for once."

Seymour grinned. "You don't think he's going to blow the gym up do you? Like everyone's gathering around and dancing and then bang! And then he'll take our corpses and make a zombie army using robotic technology. Maybe he'll spare Mikron so he can build our new robotic bodies!"

Elliot smiled dreamily and began to draw a gigantic sketch of a robot Hive student.

Jinx scowled. "That is freaky." She said to Seymour, before turning to Elliot and looking at his drawing. "And so is that. Do you have to keep drawing on my wall?"

He pouted at her, motioning in protest. "Elliot, I never said that was your wall. Ugh, whatever, I don't know why I even bother. Seymour, which dress?"

He pointed at one. "I dunno, that one I guess."

She beamed. "Thanks." She grabbed the other one.

"Bitch!" He said again. "Why would you ask me if you were just going to take the opposite?"

"Because then I know which one wouldn't look good." She said calmly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, have you seen what you wear everyday?"

"Yeah," he growled, "most of it on you."

Jinx and Seymour had the habit of exchanging clothing. Her almost nonexistent figure gave her access to the cuter side of Seymour's grungy shirts, jeans, and sweatshirts. She shrugged carelessly. "I mean the stuff you wear when stealing, it's ugly."

"It's functional." He said. "I don't know how you flip and crap in those ridiculous skirts. Can't you even try to be practical?"

She sneered at him while pulling off her clothes to get changed. "God, have some decency woman!"

Elliot turned back to look at the proceedings, turned bright red, and faced the wall hurriedly. "Like you guys haven't seen me half clothed before."

"It was different when we were kids!"

"Seymour dear, I know for a fact that you peek when I take a shower."

He flushed. When they were twelve Jinx had gotten wind that Seymour had been using his talents to observe her cleaning rituals. She beat the crap out of him through his protests of 'just wanting to see how the other half lived'. "That was a while ago."

"That doesn't erase it from history. Alright you pansies, you can look."

"You're done?"

"What did I just say?"

"You said that I can look, but since you're apparently into strip teases that could mean that you're not done dressing, but are making me look anyway." Seymour said, refusing to look back.

"I'm done." Jinx growled.

"Thank you."

Jinx snorted and turned back to the mirror. She coated her hands in gel and began to manipulate her hair into her favorite hairstyle. The boys watched in fascination as her hair began to resume the high shape they were familiar with. "Hey Jinx," Seymour said hesitantly. Elliot moved out of the way.

"Yeah?" She answered, still not looking away from the mirror.

"I thought you wanted to look good."

"What was that Seymour?" She turned about and gave him the ugliest look she could manage. He shut his mouth abruptly.

They spent a few quiet minutes as she worked with her hair. Elliot didn't turn away from his latest drawing on her wall. Seymour watched her carefully. After Jinx had finished she stood up immediately and made for the door. "Bye, boys."

Seymour rolled his eyes and got up, preparing to leave the room. Elliot teleported to his side at once and placed a firm hand on his wrist. "What?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow in response.

"I'm fine man, never better." The eyebrow didn't move. "I'm just worried is all. Jinx makes it a habit of falling too hard too fast, you know?" He sighed. "Whatever, we'll be here when she comes crashing back, I guess."

Elliot nodded. After all, what else could they do?


	24. Spy

**This might be a one-shot, or I might continue it. Not really sure yet.  
**

**Oh, and I actually wrote down where everyone was sitting, which was a pain in the ass since they kept moving around. I re-watched Deception for this, so yeah, research.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the concept.  
**

**Warnings: Minor cursing, probably**

**

* * *

**March Fifth- Day One

"Spy." Seymour said conclusively, leaning into the table.

Karen jerked back. "What are you talking about Seymour?" Hank looked up from his intense studying of the Sloppy Joes.

"Earth food is really disgusting. I don't see how you people can eat this stuff."

Seymour scoffed. "Obviously, I don't eat it. Remember? Stop looking for reasons to be elitist. Anyway, the new kid is, without a doubt, most definitely, a spy."

"And your evidence of that is what Mr. Detective?" Karen asked scornfully, resuming eating. Seymour wrinkled his upper lip at her willingness to eat, but went on.

"Um, hello. Never saw the guy in our life, never even heard of him. Plus, he comes to this school of all places without notice, and you _know _the teachers would delight in telling us about him if they knew he was coming, and I have other reasons."

"Do you now? Just because _you've _never heard of him doesn't mean he's not legitimate." Karen said. However, she also privately nursed her own disbelief about the character of the fabled new kid, but chose not to share. Who would come to a school like the Hive willingly anyhow?

"I know everyone, or at the very least, know _of _everyone, who has ever set foot in Jump in the history of ever."

Karen grimaced at that, but didn't dispute it.

"As much as I hate to agree with Karen, ever, she has a tiny point." Hank said matter-of-factly. "He could be from out of town. Anyway, you guys have missed a major problem in the conversation.

"Which is?"

"Why do we care? Seriously, who gives a shit about some loser we don't even know?" Hank said.

"Because it's interesting!" Seymour whined. He was about to say more, but was cut short.

The entire cafeteria fell silent as the person of everyone's conversations entered the room with a full plate of food clutched in his hands. Seymour's eye zoomed in on the missing person picture on his milk carton. The woman in the picture looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't come up with her name. That was unusual for him. The new guy blanched at the combined pressure of everyone's stares, plus the magnified awkwardness of the suddenly halted discussions.

"Mmm, Sloppy Joes," He said nervously, taking a deep whiff of the food, "just like what the mad scientist who created me used to make!"

Hank snickered. "Lame."

The Hive students collectively decided to spare him any more embarrassment and started talking again. Elliot switched tables in a quick whirl of his cape. He cocked his head at Seymour and Hank, ignoring Karen. She scowled at the back of his head.

"I dunno yet dude, it's a little too early to tell." Seymour shrugged.

"I don't know what the big deal is." Hank scowled fiercely. "And bee-tee-dubs, you totally still owe me thirty bucks for that stupid CD you just _had _to get."

Elliot waved him off glibly as Seymour protested Hank's dismissal. "Hank, we _never _get new students that aren't like five years old. It's cause for wonder! Celebration! Interest! A crappy novel dedicated to the angst of coming to a new school! It's inspiration for Christ's sake!"

"Lame." Hank remarked again even as Elliot nodded in agreement to Seymour's evaluation of the situation.

"It is weird though," Karen said hesitantly. "Why would he bother sneaking into the school? We've pretty much gone downhill since the headmistress went missing."

Hank nodded thoughtfully. Elliot and Seymour wrinkled their brows. "Who?" Seymour vocalized their shared question.

"Um, the headmistress. You know, before Brother Douche?" Hank said.

"Oh yeah." Seymour said in sudden revelation, finally placing a name to the woman on the milk carton. "Jesus, I wonder how I forgot about her. She was a slave driver!" Elliot shrugged, not remembering.

"At least we learned something." Karen groaned. "All we learn nowadays is how to be machines built for murder and stealing."

"What were we before?" Hank snickered. "Collected freaks trained for murder and stealing?"

"Organized!"

Seymour shrugged. "We're more or less organized now." He grinned. "Oh man, I didn't notice before. Poor shmuck's sitting at Jinx's favorite table."

"She has a favorite?" Hank asked curiously.

"Today it's probably that one." Seymour pointed at the table the new guy had crept over to. "Like she of all people could miss the wonderful opportunity to mess with the newbie."

Sure enough, Jinx entered the cafeteria and, upon seeing the new kid at the table, smiled crookedly. She winked at Seymour and turned to Baron and Mikron, who had also entered with her. Seymour snickered and turned back to his table. Bailey and one of the numerous Billys in the cafeteria migrated towards their side of the table, dragging over seats.

"Conversation looked interesting." Bailey shrugged, halfheartedly eating some undercooked peas.

"I can't believe you'd be willin' to eat that shit." Billy scowled, slouching in his seat.

"Angel's been on my back for not setting a good example eating wise," Bailey rolled his eyes, "she's right though. You kids don't eat enough, but then, neither does she."

"Earth food's gross." Hank piped in. Elliot nodded emphatically.

"Guys, quiet." Seymour whined. "It's gonna start soon!"

Elliot frowned and teleported back to his original table. "Jesus Seymour, we don't all have to shut up so you can watch your one true love." Billy said.

"I have better things to do than watch Jinx humiliate someone." Karen added.

"Like what? Do the nasty with Brother B?"

"Ugh!" Karen stood up, slamming her hands on the table. "Screw you." She stalked off.

"She wouldn't get so pissed if it wasn't true." Billy remarked.

"Man, shut up, I want to watch this."

Reluctantly they turned to Jinx, Baron, and Mikron approaching the new guy. Unfortunately, from their distance away, they couldn't hear the conversation. Hank snickered when Baron ate the entire Sloppy Joe in one bite. "Oh my god, that was totally advertising the benefits of eating for us, wasn't it Bailey?"

Bailey shrugged again, but didn't deny it. Angel had been on his and Baron's case lately.

They laughed a little bit louder than necessary when Mikron sent Stone flying from his seat. It was all part of the humiliation. It wouldn't be embarrassing if they gave the prank the little attention it deserved. Elliot scowled at the interaction from the other side of the room. He didn't like that sort of thing. Angel was livid.

They watched in interest as the new guy destroyed the table by turning into stone and hitting it. "My name is Stone," he said fiercely, "and it looks like you need to find a new table."

Seymour got up and pranced across the room to Stone. He was the official friend maker of the Hive because of his weaseling personality and general confidence. "Waste of a perfectly good table." He informed Stone cheerfully. "What did it ever do to you?"

Jinx shook her head sadly. "I actually really liked that table, you stony jerk."

"You know," Seymour's face lit up as if he was making a startling revelation. "There are probably starving kids in Africa desperate for a table of that caliber. And here you go and destroy it. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to waste resources?"

Stone looked flummoxed. He rubbed the back of his bald head sheepishly, wilting under Jinx's glare. "I've never heard that applied to a table before."

"That's because people can be thoughtless. Luckily for you, I'm here to teach you right and wrong." Stone's eyes flickered slightly.

Mikron rolled his eyes and took Seymour's abandoned spot a few tables over. "Shut up Seymour." Baron said fondly. "You're gonna scare the poor bastard."

"Speak for yourself." Seymour replied easily. "That was a cheap trick you pulled with the Sloppy Joe." His eyes locked with Baron's.

"Um, am I missing something?" Stone asked uneasily.

"Be glad for it." Baron said to Stone, not taking his eyes off of Seymour's face. "It's nothing important."

"I beg to differ." Jinx began, but stopped at the sound of Angel's voice.

"Jinxy, Mikron, can I see you for a minute?" Angel's voice was sickeningly sweet. Jinx winced, and Seymour grimaced in sympathy.

"Good luck." He called at her retreating, and very rigid, back. She flipped him off without looking back. Mikron rolled his eyes and got up as well, following her casually.

He rotated around to face Stone. "So, when did you arrive?"

Stone looked uncomfortably and unconsciously glanced at Baron nervously. "Just this morning."

"Why bother sneaking in?" Baron asked. Seymour smiled delighted.

"How cute, you came to the same conclusion as us!" He crooned. Baron held up a threatening fist. "Easy big guy. No disrespect intended."

Stone laughed hesitatingly. Seymour felt his Good Samaritan pity kick in. "So, want us to show you around or what? The only one who knows this place better than me is Elliot, and that's only because he skips class to sneak around."

"Sure," Stone said, "but don't we have class?"

Seymour scoffed. "The only class that matters today is combat practice, and that's only because Brother Blood is supervising that one today."

Baron groaned. "I am so not looking forward to that." He looked over towards Angel, Jinx, and Mikron. "I'd better go help them, Mikron's probably going to say something sarcastic right about now. Good to meet you Stone."

"Good to meet me? He totally stole my Sloppy Joe!" Stone grumbled as the other teen ambled away.

"That was more of a friendly message to us than hazing, don't worry about it." Seymour said kindly. "That was Baron, by the way. The pink-haired girl is Jinx, and the little guy is Mikron. I'm Seymour." He grabbed Stone's hand and shook it. "Oh, and I'm also Seemore, get it?" Stone smiled.

He turned toward the cafeteria. "Elliot, want to help me break him in?"

Elliot grinned and teleported over. He smiled shyly at Stone. "Hey," Stone smiled. "I'm Stone." Elliot nodded enthusiastically.

"He already knew dude." Seymour said dryly, "You kind of shouted it in the middle of the cafeteria."

Stone flushed and rubbed the back of his head, something that looked like it was going to become a habit. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Sorry."

Elliot shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. "No blood, no foul." Seymour said. "We should start going to gym though, lunch is almost over. Tour's afterwards, okay?"

"That sounds great, thanks." Stone said.

The rest of the cafeteria started to empty as students went to their various classes, or various hang out spots if they were skipping. Stone watched them all interestedly. "If you have any questions you can ask." Seymour said wryly. "We're not big on secrets here."

Elliot went through a series of complicated hand motions. Seymour, who had known the other boy for a really long time, was able to translate. "Anyway, we'd find them out before long, everybody's so nosy here." Elliot nodded fervently.

Stone seemed to blanch. "Relax dude. We don't really pry that badly." Nonetheless, Stone's expression didn't relax as they walked down the halls. Seymour pointed out the various classrooms on the way, giving a brief description of the course and the teacher.

"That's Toad's room. He teaches Tech. Mostly stuff about not putting huge red on/off buttons when building your own doomsday machine, plus how to build it in the first place. Things like that. Mikron, Billy, Hank, and I have him. You will too if you are any good at technology." Seymour said as they passed a metal door that was shut tightly.

"Man, I own technology." Stone said eagerly. Seymour observed as his face suddenly became guarded and annoyed. He seemed to be kicking himself for something.

Of course Seymour, being Seymour, decided to encourage the potentially awkward conversation. "Great! It'd be great to have someone actually decent in the class! Mikron's too good at it, Billy's an asshole, and Hank might as well be Billy."

Elliot tugged on Stone's arm and shook his head. "He doesn't think Billy's an asshole," Seymour explained, "but he totally is." He thought back to the previous conversation. "Oh yeah, so Toad's pretty awesome. But kind of weird looking, not like most of us have room to talk. You'll like him, probably. The only one who didn't was Karen, and she dropped the course."

"Why didn't she like him?"

"He doesn't like kiss-ups."

Both Elliot and Stone raised one eyebrow. Seymour grinned. "Yeah, but I'm a _persistent _kiss up. There's a total difference."

"Not much of one." Stone muttered. Seymour's grin only got wider.

When they finally reached the gym Seymour had pointed out everything on the way, Elliot chiming in when he felt like it. Stone still looked wary, but seemed to be relaxing somewhat under the pressure of Seymour's ingratiating personality. Seymour opened the gym doors with a flourish. "Gym!" He announced grandly. "Home of glory, power, and gym teachers with whistles." He looked over at the teacher. "Sorry," He said falsely, "Physical Education teachers with whistles."

Elliot rolled his eyes and formed his fingers into his sign for something like 'tomato, tomahto'.

"It is not the same thing you little brat." The gym teacher, Harold, replied harshly. "Gym teacher implies that I only supervise crappy games of Capture the Flag, and I don't"

"Of course not. Hive only accepts the best." Seymour said, just a little sourly. Harold grimaced back.

Harold was a short balding man built like Hercules who spent the gym classes where they weren't learning to fight, due to Blood's lesson plans, reading motorcycle magazines. During said lessons he would direct his students to play kick ball or something, and ignore the fact that they never actually played kick ball or something. During weight room he read Sports Illustrated. He hated being called a gym teacher because he hated teaching gym, he much preferred teaching the kids how to fight, which was fine because the kids preferred to learn how to fight anyhow.

"Who are you?" He demanded of Stone harshly, looking down at his lesson plans in irritation.

"S-stone." Stone stammered back. "I'm new here."

"A-a-are you?" Harold false stuttered. "Well you're not on my list, boy. Does Blood know you're here?"

"Who?"

"The headmaster! Seymour hasn't given you a crash course yet?" Harold demanded.

"I started it!" Seymour whined. "But the whole gym class supervision thing interrupted. It is so totally not my fault!"

"He'll know I'm here soon, sir." Stone said.

"You bet he will. I'm putting you with Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo for this one."

"What?!" A screech came from behind them. Jinx stormed over. "No, no, no, no, no! You absolutely _can't _do that to us! We have routines! _Especially _since the headmaster's going to be there! We can't just work out a whole new attack plan!"

"Improvise." Harold sneered. "I know you know how to."

Jinx looked like she wanted to say more, but finally just muttered a resentful "fine" and stomped back to Baron and Mikron. Stone hesitantly followed. Seymour cackled because it was all so damn _amusing_ and continued pestering Harold with Elliot.

"He wants us to what?" Mikron demanded. Baron rolled his eyes and flashed a weary smile at Stone who returned it.

"I know!" Jinx whined.

"Ugh, fine." He muttered, brain working furiously. "It's no big deal, we'll figure it out. Maybe if instead of the beta pattern we have Stone go first and Mammoth take up the rear to cover up any screw ups we can-"

"Whoa." Stone said. "I won't screw up alright? I can fight just as well as you all."

"How do you know?" Mikron demanded. "Have you researched us previously? Any prior knowledge of the course? Any reason we shouldn't be worried that someone who we don't know the abilities of is affecting our grade?"

"I'll be alright." Stone insisted.

"No." Mikron said. "_We'll _be alright. That's the problem."

"Mikron, shut up." Baron said. "We'll deal with it."

Mikron rolled his eyes up. "I'm surrounded by morons."

"Hey, don't lump me in with them." Jinx grimaced.

Stone drifted off to the side as Harold created the order of team and gave them instructions to "just wait in the bleachers when you're done, and don't fuck up." Jinx looked over at her team, her _real _team, speculatively. "What do you say that we do our Alpha attack anyway?"

"Jinx." Baron said warningly.

"Now hold on a second Baron." Mikron interrupted. "Think about it. We get to see how he responds, and how he fights. It's a perfect way to really check the guy out."

Baron reluctantly acquiesced. He too wanted to see what that Stone guy was really made of. The scene in the cafeteria, while impressive, wasn't nearly indicative of his true strength. Besides, if he knew the others as well as he thought he did, everybody else wanted to see his fighting skills. And what better way then to plunge him in head first?

Mikron nodded decisively. "I'm right; you know I'm right, so let's have a good run yeah? We definitely can't screw this one up."

Jinx frowned. "I really hope we don't mess up. It's weird. My powers have been easier to control than I remember them being, for a while now, but they've lost…"

"Power?" Baron asked. "I know what you mean."

Mikron frowned, but didn't say anything.

The line of Hive teams slowly dissipated. Stone stood next to them hopping nervously from one foot to the other, stopping sporadically in an effort to hide his nervousness, then starting up again. Mikron found the entire thing hilarious, and snickered the whole time. Jinx was out for blood. Baron was mixed, he thought Stone should just get over it, but also understood why he was so nervous. He hoped that wouldn't affect Stone's performance, because the course was getting more rigorous as the years went on.

Or maybe they were, for some reason, getting worse. The thought was unapproachable.

When it was finally their turn, the last of all of the groups, they stepped onto the platform and began to rise. Stone looked down at the retreating ground, and hoped fervently that he wouldn't make a fool of himself. He had forgotten how it felt to worry about what other people thought of him, and his return to high school, villainous or not, sent the feelings crashing back.

It was _weird _to be back in school. He hadn't been in years, even before he joined the Titans he had dropped out because of the accident that lead to his change. He couldn't help but think that in a school like this, his cybernetic body wouldn't be a problem. They had some real freaks here; he would've blended right in. It was too late now, of course, and he didn't have the morals for it anyway. Still though, it was an interesting thought.

They stepped on to the platform and started to be raised towards the ceiling where a small hole opened to accommodate the rising floor. He was momentarily blinded by the bright light while his cybernetic eye assessed the surroundings. The gym was made almost entirely of metal and brick (38 percent iron, 12 percent tin, 14 percent oak, 22 percent stone and 14 percent various other substances). Quite a few life forms were settled on the bleachers beside it. He looked over to the crowd quietly conversing to the side of the arena when his eye adjusted. Seymour and Elliot were the only ones he recognized, and he vowed to get to know the others. For the good of the mission and all that.

The whistle was blown and Jinx led away her teammates, shouting some attack pattern. Stone growled, annoyed but expecting it, and shouted the obvious. "Hey, I don't know that one!" He ran off after them and vowed to avoid getting his ass kicked. There was no way he was letting them make a fool out of him.

The course was just as rigorous as the one he had made for the Titans. Luckily, he was used to those sorts of things because of Robin's mandatory daily practice with them, so he was more or less able to continue without much hindrance. He had the added advantage of having built his own course, and was therefore able to roughly predict what would happen and what wouldn't.

He made it to the other side without much hindrance, and took a moment to bask in the glory of what was Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo being bound by the metal (54 percent tin, 24 percent iron, and 1 percent copper). He was in such a good mood about this turn of events, and just sadistic enough to realize what it would mean to them, that he rescued them from the bonds, and crossed the finish line with them.

Just like when he was with the Titans, he shouted at his victory. "Zip it, crud-for-brains!" Gizmo hissed. "The headmaster's coming." The entire room was dead quiet.

Stone felt himself getting nervous. It had been _ages_ since he had been told off by any principle, head master, teacher, or anything of the sort. The closest he had come was Robin bitching at him, but that was easily ignored. He couldn't remember how he was supposed to respond, but supposed the best thing to do was just stay quiet and look repentant.

An older man approached followed by the student's worried eyes. He was shorter than Stone, but somehow seemed infinitely taller. His eyes were a curious red color, dark enough that they seemed brown, but red nonetheless. He started out with his voice crackling with suppressed fury. "You sneak into my school, ruin my course, and make my top students look like common pick-pockets;" he spat, and then paused, "well done, Mr. Stone."

Stone wondered how he had learned his name. He looked into the crowd and met Seymour's concerned eyes.

The headmaster turned away from him and began to talk about a weapon. Stone's eyes widened, but he kept his eyes locked with Seymour's one eye. The other boy hadn't yet looked away. He seemed to be attempting to communicate something, but Stone couldn't understand what it was for the life of him. His eyes were still fixed there when Seymour's eye turned red. He swallowed a gasp and looked nervously around the room at the sea of red eyes, and realized suddenly that he had never felt more lost and alone.

Welcome to the Hive.


	25. Shippers

Whoa, um, okay. An update. Right. I don't even know how to do this anymore. So there's some homophobic stuff, and also the alternative view point. It's probably obvious that I think that homophobia is a load of crap, but I tried not to be inflammatory in either direction… we'll see how that worked. Oh, and also I so don't think all southerners are against homosexuality. Just saying.

There's a couple shout outs to Mistressmarrionette in here, so go read her stuff because it's awesome!

* * *

"Seriously, I'm telling you, it's not going to be Robin and Starfire!" Hank shouted, practically foaming at the mouth. Arguments tended to get very spirited at the Hive, and it was in an arena that he felt was a major part of his expertise. Actually, he felt most arenas were parts of his expertise. He said it was because he was from another planet, so he had the ability to see this shit-storm for what it was. The others said it was because he was an elitist little brat, and he should suck it. Except Elliot, he just made faces.

Mikron disagreed. "Every time you see them they're looking at each other like they want to jump each other's bones," he scoffed. "It's disgusting. If they could just get off the sexual tension wagon, our lives would be that much more bearable."

Hank shook his head. "Doesn't matter," he said firmly. "She's the princess of her freaking planet, especially so since her sister went batshit, she's gonna marry some prince or another. Or a noble. It's a monarchy." His planet would give up at least five of the planets in their growing territorial expansion if they had the chance to take out that monarchy.

"I'm going to have to agree with Hank," Billy said. He felt obligated since Hank pretty much did anything he said, so he ought to return the favor. Seymour muttered, "big surprise," under his breath. Billy continued. "Not because of the princess thing, but because they're both way too wimpy to do anything about anything. I give them a couple almost kisses, followed by red faces and stammering. That's it. No way he has it in him to get laid."

"So what about Robin and Raven?" Seymour questioned. "They could drown in their overly-dramatic emo angst together. You know, 'the world is too dark for any sort of light; we are empty soulless abysses colliding through the atmosphere. Wanna make out?' That sort of thing."

Jinx scowled at him for besmirching her kind-of idol. "They'd eat each other alive with the seriousness of everything. She's going to end up with someone way more hardcore than the walking fire hazard." She considered Raven the Jinx of the Titans, what with all the black magic and sarcasm. She nursed a private belief that Raven would rebel from the side of 'ma, apple pie, and Chevrolet.' Probably in a really violent way too. World ending sort of violent.

"Such as who?" Mikron asked. "Cyborg? Please. He doesn't even know how to find a way out of his own cybernetic ass without using a blueprint." Stone coughed uncomfortably.

Elliot made his fingers into a lion gesture, bared claws and all. "Beastboy?" Seymour asked, disbelief coloring his tone. "You can't be serious."

"I dunno, he's pretty hardcore." Billy said wickedly, looking over blatantly at Jinx. "Didn't he manage to crush a certain rhymes with bitch under a ceiling or something?" Jinx flipped him off.

"I was in rehabilitation for weeks asshole," she glared. "Oh, and it was so totally not my fault." She added as an afterthought.

"Rehabilitation?" Stone asked. He latched on to the only thing that made sense in the conversation. He was aware that people in the city paired up the Titans, but hadn't known how widespread, or how fervent, the arguments were. Being discussed by people while he was right there was disconcerting. Also, it didn't help that he had no idea about the realities of what they were discussing. Sometimes living in Titans Tower felt like living in a soap opera.

Jinx gave him a wry look. "Yeah, when you're crushed under the better half of a building it can take a while to get your body working again. I got lucky," she shrugged. "I only broke a few bones because I hexed what I could off before it hit me."

"Let's get back the point. It's not gonna be Beastboy," Seymour asserted. "She would kill him. He would end up as a grass stain on the pavement." He dragged his thumb against his palm to illustrate what exactly would happen when Beastboy made one awful joke at Raven's expense while they were dating.

"Can you blame her?" Mikron asked. "He is annoying as hell. She'd be doing the world a favor."

"Did you discover this at the tournament of heroes, perhaps?" Seymour inquired innocently as Elliot snickered. Stone reflected that Seymour looking innocent consisted of a smile filled with more teeth exposed than they rightfully should be. The Hive kids really seemed to like showing their teeth. If he had ever asked why they would have told him that dental was the only good thing about the Hive. Dental and mayhem.

"Oooh, yes, tell us how it is to be heroic. We are all desperate to know." Hank trilled, pressing his hands under his chin and fluttering his eyes.

"Screw you both," Mikron answered. "When I work out the logistics of an atomic disintegrator, you're all going to be dust."

"You haven't already?" Stone said, blinking innocently. A proper innocent look too, wide eyed and stupid. "Well, I'm sure you'll get there sooner or later. I remember how long it took." One of the best things about being a Hive student was baiting Mikron. Constantly. Without stop. And it never, ever got old. Especially since he took it better than Robin, and responded instead of throwing a hissy fit.

"Stone, you wouldn't know the proper configuration of an atom even if you were programmed to, you hulk of pebbles."

"You know I always thought Thunder and Lightening were together." Jinx remarked passively, and mostly to derail Stone and Mikron's endless verbal one-upmanship. It got so tiring that the Hive swore they would lock them in a closet together so they could either end the sexual tension or kill each other. Whichever got the job done quickest.

"I think they were brothers," Stone answered her rapidly. He liked Jinx, for a criminal, and he didn't want her to make such an error in pairing someone up. The Hive mocked errors ruthlessly.

"Incest then," she shrugged. "Worse things have happened." Stone blanched.

"You're a twisted freak," Billy said, with some admiration. There was nothing the Hive liked more than twisted freaks. They were far more fun, and better to have on your side than against you.

"Control Freak swears by Cyborg and Beastboy," Hank said mildly. Stone choked on some water he had unwisely swallowed. Him and BB? Ewww, mega ewww. Jinx patted him on the back indulgently.

"Dude, when in the hell have you been hanging out with CF?" Billy asked, appalled.

Hank colored, giving his face a strange brownish complexion. "I was just bored, and he's hard to get rid of. Seriously."

"Nah, that's only because CF totally wants Beastboy to be gay. He hella likes him." Seymour said easily.

"Really?"

"It's a Fact."

"I still stand by Cyborg and Robin." Jinx said casually. "They're both so obsessed with each other it's painful. And plus, Cyborg looked like he wanted to jump him when he came back from the dead the first time we fought them."

"Did he really?" Stone said faintly, "I'm sure he didn't look like that."

"No, he did. The entire team was practically writing poetry in their head, but Cyborg looked like he was foaming at the mouth he was so excited. I wouldn't be surprised if they had already done it"

Seymour looked at him wryly when he gagged. "You're a bit of a prude, aren't you? Or are you homophobic?"

Elliot scowled at him, his fierce glare the universal sign for 'you better not be, jackass.' Billy, never one to back down from something that could so clearly be a fight given the right pushing, bristled. He had come from a rich, southern, background, and although he hated everything his father stood for and more, some things stuck. "So what if he is? Two men sure as hell weren't intended to be together by whatever crackpot designed the universe." Seymour looked mutinous, and if Mikron rolling his eyes was anything to go by, he agreed.

"What crackpot is that honey?" Angel entered the room and said sweetly. Dangerously.

Billy scowled. "Angel, you can't think that's right. Two of the same should just not be doing it."

"You're just squeamish," Jinx snarled.

"Sure am."

"Plus," Hank chimed in, like he always did. "If everyone was gay, you couldn't continue the species. Although, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing."

"Zip it you elitist quack. One person being gay doesn't make the whole world gay. It's not contagious." Mikron stated.

"It doesn't matter if it's right or not. I expect we won't know until we're gone. But it certainly exists, it would be better to just accept it." Angel said, responding to Billy's question.

"And she's like psycho religious," Seymour beamed.

Angel rolled her eyes, and diffused the situation before it could evolve into more fighting, complete with cracked walls. Billy had been raised in a very different environment than the rest, with the exception of Elliot because Lord knew where he came from, and sometimes he felt a bit ganged up on. Not that he would admit it. "What did all of this spring from?"

Stone was quick to grab at her olive branch and force it down the other's throats. "They were arguing about who of the heroes would have a relationship with the other." Seymour mouthed 'have a relationship?' at Elliot, who just shrugged.

"We were on Robin and Cyborg, and their obvious sexual frustration." Jinx said eagerly.

"Now, now, Jinx. A lady doesn't talk about these sorts of things," Angel said. "Especially when so obviously wrong. We all know who Robin is going to end up with."

"Who?" Stone asked.

"Slade of course. His obsession gives him no other recourse. And if he ever wants to get over assuming he's a part of every case, he needs to release all of his pent up urges." Angel said demurely, folding her hands in her lap.

"Oh my god," Mikron said, a broad smile overtaking his face. "It's obvious!"

"Seriously," Hank agreed.

"I believe," Seymour announced, standing on his chair and waving his arm dramatically, "that we have just encountered a Fact!" Elliot clapped and whistled shrilly. Billy shrugged, and then nodded.

When he was finally back in his room, Stone checked in with the Titans. Starfire hovered joyfully, and offered to make him a mustard and spinach milkshake when he returned, the art of which she had just learned from friend Beastboy. Raven's face softened slightly when she saw him. Beastboy's voice cracked as he excitedly showed Stone all he had done with the robot he left behind. The robot was wearing a hula outfit, complete with coconuts.

Robin watched his team fondly, and turned to him. "Found anything Cyborg?" Stone blinked, remembering in a jolt that his name was actually Cyborg.

"Not yet," he replied easily. "They've only just started to really trust me. Only with things like names though." 'Which I'm not telling you,' he added to himself. It was bad enough that he was going to betray the school of people who had been their version of kind to him; he wasn't going to do it to them personally as well.

Robin didn't ask, just nodded reasonably. "I have something else I'd like you to check up on. I think there's a possibility that Slade might be involved. It seems like his… Cyborg?"

Stone had been trying to hold in the laughter so desperately that he choked. "Nothing man," he gasped. "I'll totally look into it." He turned off communications so he wouldn't say something stupid and laughed for a good five minutes.


End file.
